#1. BARNES: TWICKENHAM, LONDON
Barnes said: “A short stroll from home. In the 2015 RWC semi-final, I walked to the stadium from my house with the other match officials. As I crossed the 316 bridge from the Stoop with my bag over my shoulder, I looked across to the West Car Park and thought this is pretty special.
“It will always be the home of rugby to me,”
#1. OWENS: ELLIS PARK, JOHANNESBURG
Owens said: “I only refereed here once and it was the game I mentioned earlier but it’s a special place for me. The game was South Africa v New Zealand in 2013 and the atmosphere that day was just something to behold.
“The game itself was just unbelievable and played at such a pace, without a doubt the best I ever refereed. The All Blacks won 38-27, there were nine tries and some of them were stunning. The crowd really got into the game, as they always do in South Africa, and it made for a truly special memory.
Embed from Getty Images“The ground itself is not in a great place but there is so much history there with the 1995 World Cup final being played there. They did the same in 2013 as they did in 1995 as well when they flew this massive jumbo jet over the stadium. I was out on the field warming up and it was so low you thought it was going to clip the top of the stand.
‘I remember thinking to myself ‘Wow, what an occasion this is’. The supporters were incredible and it is just one of the great rugby venues anywhere in the world.”