Staying Onside
Watch now to hear rucking good stories from the world’s number one rugby ref, Wayne Barnes
webinar
2019 World Rugby Referee of The Year, Wayne Barnes, sits down with David Kurk, a former premiership match official, to reminisce over South Africa’s 1995, 2007, and 2019 World Cup wins.
During the webinar hosted by our very own Georgina Smith, also a former international referee, you can hear about the lighter side of the beautiful game as Wayne shares stories from his long career with the whistle.
Currently the number one rugby referee in the world, Wayne has refereed in four world cups and is considered one of the most consistent match officials in the game.
the AUCTION
Wayne Barnes donated the shirt he wore to referee 2019’s Rugby World Cup’s 3rd place playoffs between New Zealand and Wales.
During a live auction, R4 000 was raised for the Connect Sports Academy, a charity that uses the power of sport, particularly rugby, to uplift under privileged children. COVID-19 has been particularly hard on charities like Connect and we hope to be able to raise as much money as possible for the volunteers at Connect who work tirelessly to make a difference in our communities.
About the webinar
During what’s set to be 90 minutes of pure entertainment, David Kurk will chat to 2019 World Rugby Referee of The Year, Wayne Barnes about life beyond the scrum. Currently the number one rugby referee in the world, Wayne has refereed in four world cups and is considered one of the most consistent match officials in the game.
Wayne will share insights into how he copes with the pressures of international rugby where every decision is a BIG decision as well as the lighter side of being a referee and some of the stories that have happened throughout Wayne’s refereeing career.
The live webinar will be hosted by our very own Georgina Smith, also a former international rugby referee.
The speakers
Wayne Barnes
International rugby referee Wayne Barnes has refereed two European Champions Cup finals, eight Premiership finals, and was the first Englishman to referee the British and Irish Lions.
He is also a barrister, ironically specialising in bribery and corruption. He is married to Polly and they have two children.
David Kurk
David is a former English Premiership match official.
Aged three, he appeared in a horror movie giving him a taste for performing!
He is a live event show host acting for numerous industries ranging from pharmaceutical to travel, finance to sport and many others.
He has successfully performed at the world-famous Edinburgh Comedy Fringe Festival on three occasions.
Georgina Smith
Georgina holds a strong belief that you’re never too old to learn; that continual development helps people stay motivated to do their jobs better and build a good company culture. Her two decades of work experience has set her up as an excellent manager who builds business value through focussed teams using stretching, but achievable, targets.
Having worked across different industries in both large corporates and small to medium-sized firms benefitting from learnings across her international experience, Georgina brings a fresh, and welcomed, outlook to the team.
In 2006, Georgina was the highest-ranked female referee in the world.