Wayne Barnes off to Casablanca

RWC qualifier

With his whistle in his bag and the fate of two nations in his hands, Wayne Barnes is off to Casablanca to referee the World Cup Qualifier between Morocco and Portugal.

For older folk Casablanca probably evokes memories of Humphrey Bogart saying to Ingrid Bergman "Here's looking at you, kid", and Ingrid Bergman saying to Dooley Wilson "Play it, Sam, and Claude Rains giving the order "Round up the usual suspects."

Morocco and Portugal are not really "usual suspects" for Barnes to round up, for neither has been to a World Cup yet and even here have a way to go.

They are in répechage – where the last fishing is done to get sides to the World Cup's final tournament. There are two more teams to be fished out. One pond has Tonga and Korea. That's straightforward, one match, one winner. But Morocco and Portugal have to play each other twice and the winner then plays Uruguay twice and only in will the last fish swim off to France.

Barnes will be flying directly from London Heathrow to Casablanca where the match will take place at Stade du COC where Barnes has been before. In 2005 he ran touch for Steve Leyshon in the final of the Africa Cup between Morocco and Namibia. This time Barnes will referee and Rob Debney and David Kurk will be his touch judges.

Barnes is also not new to World Cup qualifiers as in 2006 he refereed the match between Romania and Georgia which Romania won 20-8 in Bucharest.

Barnes has a foot on the referees' ladder all right. In addition to refereeing the match between Scotland and the Baa-baas, he has refereed four Tests – Fiji vs Samoa, Japan vs Fiji, Romania Georgia and Wales vs Pacific Islands. Next month he will referee his first Six Nations match – Italy vs France.

Last year Barnes got onto the International Rugby Board's merit panel of 21 referees. He is in a small elite group at the top of the refereeing tree and he is only 27.

For a profile of Wayne Barnes, click here.