Wayne Barnes replaces Jerome Garces as referee for All Blacks-Wallabies clash

Wayne Barnes. Photo / Brett Phibbs

One referee notorious in the eyes of New Zealand rugby fans has been replaced by another for the opening Bledisloe Cup Test.

England whistler Wayne Barnes will control the Test in Sydney on Saturday, replacing Jerome Garces.

Frenchman Garces suffered a calf injury while officiating a pre-season French club rugby match and hasn't flown to Australia.

Welshman Nigel Owens takes over from Barnes as the assistant referee.

Barnes was scheduled to control the second Bledisloe Cup Test in Dunedin next week but will now be an assistant, with Owens handed the whistle.

Garces was at the heart of the two biggest rulings in the drawn series between the All Blacks and the British and Irish Lions.

He sent off New Zealand back Sonny Bill Williams in the second Test, which the Lions won, before seemingly being the key figure in a contentious late ruling in the drawn third Test in Auckland.

Referee Romain Poite appeared to act on Garces' advice when he ruled Lions hooker Ken Owens was accidentally offside, turning a kickable penalty to New Zealand into a scrum ruling.

Barnes' moment of Kiwi infamy came a decade ago when he allowed a French try which appeared to feature a forward pass in their World Cup quarter-final defeat of the All Blacks in Cardiff.