Wayne Barnes has seen it all in top level rugby since since turning pro as a referee in 2005. And whether it was covering Munster in the Champions Cup or Ireland in the Six Nations, we were well used to his ways on these shores.
While being much maligned early in his career, his stature grew as the years went by, and since his retirement after the World Cup final, his reputation as one of the finest refs of all-time has been solidified.
His autobiography, Throwing the Book, is a brilliantly open account of his career, and one that does not shy away from mistakes he made both on and off the pitch.
Wayne Barnes Shares Brilliant Munster Story In New Book
One such mistake he made - on a couple of occasions - was cosying up to supporters and players after a game, which did no favours for his reputation as an objective official.
In his book, he details an incident in Toulouse after a loss to Glasgow, where a 'piss-up' at Trevor Brennan's pub clouded his better judgement.
That night, we went to a bar owned by Trevor Brennan, the former Ireland and Toulouse player. We were having a few quiet beers when the entire Glasgow team filed in, which was when those few quiet beers turned into a colossal piss-up. Scotland back row Kelly Brown got his guitar out and soon I was singing along with my arm around him.
That's when Toulouse's legendary head coach Guy Noves suddenly appeared with his family in tow. Noves shot me a look of contempt and I contemplated never refereeing Toulouse again.
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27 April 2014; Referee Wayne Barnes and Munster's Paul O'Connell exchange a handshake after the game. Heineken Cup, Semi-Final, Toulon v Munster. Stade Vélodrome, Marseille, France. Picture credit: Diarmuid Greene / SPORTSFILE
A similar incident occurred in Marseille, following Munster's 2014 Heineken Cup semi-final loss to Toulon, where once again the drink got the better of him and he was spotted by the not too pleased Toulon head coach.
"Something similar happened after Toulon played Munster in the semi-finals of the Heineken Cup in 2014. Toulon won a decent game, with no controversy, and afterwards we headed into Marseille for a few beers. We were in an Irish bar in the old port when someone chucked a Munster top at me and asked me to put it on.
"Being quite oiled, and Munster having lost, I agreed. That wasn't very bright because, at some point in the evening, Toulon’s head coach Bernard Laporte walked in. I have no idea what Laporte was doing in an Irish bar at midnight after a game — I thought a Michelin-starred restaurant was more his style — but it was another excruciatingly embarrassing moment.
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