Ex Vs Salaries

[Rossm]

Wayne should have shown him a yellow as soon as he refused to do as he was told. I'm afraid he bottled it.

[RBB]

Barnes largely being slaughtered on Twitter, reputation is damaged as he let Billy stare him out and he failed to deliver against the warnings. The arrogance of the EA playing staff is appalling, the RFU need to act IMO, as Billy was as good as laughing at an official.

[Neils]

Barnes largely being slaughtered on Twitter, reputation is damaged as he let Billy stare him out and he failed to deliver against the warnings. The arrogance of the EA playing staff is appalling, the RFU need to act IMO, as Billy was as good as laughing at an official.

To be honest Barnes deserves all he gets. Totally bottled it.

[Willie]

With Saracen’s cheating and Exeter’s questionable branding, this one was a hard one for me to watch with enthusiasm either way. On balance probably the best result in the end from a Wasps perspective. Second brawl and temper tantrums in recent weeks for Sarries; they are not exactly helping to dispel the pantomime baddies image are they. 

The arrogance of the EA playing staff is appalling,

What’s does EA, in reference to Saracens, stand for?
Agree about the arrogance at Saracens, but would like to make an exception for Alex Sanderson. His interviews are easily the best thing about watching a Saracens match. Like the classic tongue in cheek comment after the Munster handbags, “I don’t want to point fingers but it was Munster’s fault.” 

[RBB]

Estate Agents

[Willie]

Ahh. I guessed it was something along those lines. Thanks.

[NellyWellyWaspy]

Barnes largely being slaughtered on Twitter, reputation is damaged as he let Billy stare him out and he failed to deliver against the warnings. The arrogance of the EA playing staff is appalling, the RFU need to act IMO, as Billy was as good as laughing at an official.

To be honest Barnes deserves all he gets. Totally bottled it.

Trouble is, letting the players get away with this as he did sets the bar very low for the better refs and so they too get grief and have to deal with it.

[InBetweenWasp]

I thought Barnes had a weak game today.  Apart from the view on Itoje, there were so many players a metre or so in front of the kicker so many times and Barnes was level but just ignored it on his altar of letting play continue regardless of the rules.  Also, when the fracas occurred it seems to me ( and I have watched it in slow motion several times) that the Saracens player deliberately used his body to lift the Exeter player in the air, probably because he was cross he had been tackled into Touch.  That started the fracas and for Barnes to simply say that all he saw was two players falling over each other was absurd.  What do you think started it Barnes?  I think at that point Barnes lost control of himself and awarded a penalty try when it was far from certain that a try woud have been scored - after all the offence was coming in at the side and not colllapsing a maul that was heading inexorably to the line.

That was how I saw it folks.

Glad the morally upright Exeter won and the morally bankrupt Saracens lost.

Billy V should have been given a yellow at least for his part in the whole childish melee, at one point when Barnes is telling him to walk away, he utters 'I am a grown ass man', not only is it disrespectful but it is also diabolical use of the language! Barnes bottled that, Williams rightly a straight RED, Billy should have got a YELLOW (as a minimum).

I’m not sure the mics picked it up if it is true, but supposedly the full sentence was “Don’t talk to me like that.  I’m a grown ass man...”

Might not be abusive language as such, but hugely disrespectful.

[BG]

This is why I'm completely against the refs being so chummy with players.. referring to them by first names (they have positions and numbers on their backs that can be used), having a joke with them.. continually engaging in conversation and answering repeated questions from players who aren't the captain.

I presume the refs who do this are trying to build  relationships to get the players to do what the ref wants.. for me all it does is allow the players to push the boundaries even further, like a teacher wanting to be best friends with his pupils.. the pupil will start answering back knowing that a reaction is less likely.

[Shugs]

Completely agree BG. First name terms is too much as, in Barnes case, is punditry. Blurs the lines. I'm also irritated by refs explaining the rules during play (not once it has paused). It's their job to adjudicate on what is happening - not to give advice.