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Cape Town - Although he steered clear of any controversial claims about referees in his newly released autobiography The Open Side, All Blacks skipper Richie McCaw did suggest that England's Wayne Barnes may have been out of his depth in the 2007 Rugby World Cup quarter-final against France.
"This was Barnes' biggest game by far. On the big stage, an inexperienced referee is likely to become so afraid of making a mistake that he stops making any decisions at all.
"By the end of it, I thought Barnes was frozen with fear and wouldn't make any big calls."
According to the Stuff.co.nz website, McCaw's analysis of fellow New Zealander Bryce Lawrence's performance in the 2011 World Cup quarter-final between Australia and South Africa was very similar, although it came as no surprise to McCaw who had suffered at the hands of Lawrence in the Super Rugby final against the Reds earlier that year, which the Reds won 18-13.
"Australia are lucky to beat South Africa in Wellington, after Bryce Lawrence does what he did in Brisbane in the Super 15 final - freezes, and forgets to blow his whistle," he wrote.
"This was Barnes' biggest game by far. On the big stage, an inexperienced referee is likely to become so afraid of making a mistake that he stops making any decisions at all.
"By the end of it, I thought Barnes was frozen with fear and wouldn't make any big calls."
According to the Stuff.co.nz website, McCaw's analysis of fellow New Zealander Bryce Lawrence's performance in the 2011 World Cup quarter-final between Australia and South Africa was very similar, although it came as no surprise to McCaw who had suffered at the hands of Lawrence in the Super Rugby final against the Reds earlier that year, which the Reds won 18-13.
"Australia are lucky to beat South Africa in Wellington, after Bryce Lawrence does what he did in Brisbane in the Super 15 final - freezes, and forgets to blow his whistle," he wrote.
