This post was originally published on this site.
The Barbarians may have lost their magic, but this is still a big game for Wales
06:00, 27 Jun 2026
Wales get their summer campaign under way this weekend against the Barbarians, a team that in the past has always managed to capture the imagination of supporters, players, and I suppose officials, alike.
But I’m not so sure the prospect of the Barbarians generates as much interest as it used to in years gone by.
It’s still a great spectacle, no question. I hugely enjoyed those games as a referee. I did one with Scotland, one with England, New Zealand, and then in Cardiff in 2019 I got special dispensation to referee that game.
That was a bit of a surreal experience, refereeing your own country. But it was a very enjoyable one.
But in the professional age, and with players playing as many games as they do, the Barbarians side now tends to be made up of players either finishing up their career, or ones who have retired from the international stage.
They’re still big names, but you haven’t quite got the intensity you’d get with full-blown internationals.
So I think it’s a shame there probably isn’t too much excitement around the game.
That could be to do with Wales not being in the best place, although obviously the Six Nations showed signs of improvement.
But I glanced at the Barbarians side for this weekend and there were a lot of players I didn’t even know!
That used to be the case with referees in years gone by. They used to give these sorts of games to up-and-coming officials, because if things go wrong in a Barbarians game it isn’t the same as a Six Nations game or whatever.
However, I actually think these games have become quite difficult to referee.
You have to get the balance right. It’s not your normal international match. People have come to see entertainment and tries. You need to allow the games to flow a little bit, maybe let things go you wouldn’t normally let go.
When I refereed the game with New Zealand, I’d already done a World Cup final, but I still found it a tough game to do because while it might be a game of fun, the two teams still expect you to referee it.
That’s why, I think, in recent years, you’re seeing more and more experienced referees taking charge of these games. Newer referees find that balance a lot harder to strike.
For Wales, they probably want to practice a game plan and try things out in preparation for two difficult Tests coming up.
There’s Fiji in Cardiff, which some might see as a chance to get a win, particularly with trips to South Africa and Argentina coming up. Both of those will be very, very difficult and I’m sure many are not expecting us to get a win there.
But if we do, it’s huge.
So I think for Wales there’s a balance to be struck too. They obviously want to go out and offer up a bit of entertainment, but I’m sure will also want to get a win to give us some confidence going into the rest of the summer.
Steve Tandy’s already made a big decision in handing Dewi Lake the captaincy despite Jac Morgan’s return.
But I think you’ve got two top-quality leaders in both of those players.
I would say it’s very similar to what you had with Ireland. You had Brian O’Driscoll and Paul O’Connell, both respective captains of their own teams in Ireland.
They’d also be the first two on any teamsheet when Ireland are picking their side, and the dynamic between them worked really, really well.
You could toss a coin on which two of those you’d put as captain because both of them were just born leaders.
I think it’s similar with Wales, who are very fortunate in that they have two world-class players and two world-class leaders as well.
Ultimately, I don’t think it really matters which one of them you pick as the captain, because both of them will work together.
If one goes off, the other will become captain and vice-versa. So I wouldn’t be reading too much into that call from Tandy.
Just remember as well, Morgan is coming back from a serious injury. So to let him settle and get back to top form, I think, is a good idea.
