Throwing the Book

The Strife and Crimes of a Rugby Referee

Wayne Barnes, Ben Dirs

$59.99

Hardback

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QTY:

English

Constable
12 March 2024

Memoirs; Sports & outdoor recreation; Rugby Union

Wayne Barnes, one of the most experienced international rugby referees in history - and criminal barrister to boot - uniquely lifts the lid on a lifetime of trying to keep the biggest names in the sport on their best behaviour.

There aren't many people who can say they've been the 31st man on the pitch during a World Cup humdinger, Grand Slam decider or Premiership and European Cup final; listened to the sobs of a 20-stone prop as he tries to belt out his national anthem; heard the crunch of bones after some of the mightiest hits in the game; or been close to the greatest players of the last 20 years, doing almost impossible things with a rugby ball, especially when you're a working-class lad from the Forest of Dean, wondering how you ever got there in the first place.

Candid, humble and warmly told, Throwing the Book is the definitive account of what it means to be a rugby referee and a love letter to the sport that has provided Wayne with so much. Covering his childhood days, family life, career highs and lows, side-step into law, as well as what's next in store for Wayne both on and off the pitch, this book reveals the man behind the referee for the very first time.

Serious when it needs to be, but also rich in good humour and humanity, Throwing the Book is a memoir to remember.

By: Wayne Barnes
With: Ben Dirs
Imprint: Constable
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 232mm, Width: 162mm, Spine: 36mm
Weight: 620g
ISBN: 9781408719541
ISBN 10: 1408719541
Pages: 304
Publication Date: 12 March 2024
Audience: General/trade , College/higher education , Professional and scholarly , ELT Advanced , Primary
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Wayne Barnes is an English international rugby union referee and criminal barrister. He has refereed more international matches than anyone else in the history of the sport. He has refereed in five Rugby World Cups, seventeen Six Nations tournaments and three European Champions Cup finals. He has not only refereed over 270 English Premiership matches, including ten finals, but he has done so while also being a partner at the international law firm, Squire Patton Boggs.

Reviews for Throwing the Book: The Strife and Crimes of a Rugby Referee

Plenty of amusing anecdotes . . . highly readable . . . the former referee's new autobiography is required reading and lays bare some of the more disturbing aspects of modern rugby * Guardian *