Stuart Barnes
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 Barnes in 2006 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 22 November 1962 Grays, Essex, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Height | 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 86 kg (13 st 8 lb)[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | Bassaleg School | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| University | St Edmund Hall, University of Oxford | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Occupation | Sports Commentator | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Stuart Barnes (born 22 November 1962)[2] is an English rugby union journalist and commentator, and former player. He is a commentator for Sky Sports and writes for The Times.
Barnes played fly-half for Newport RFC, Bristol and Bath, and represented England and the British Lions.
Born in Grays, Essex, he played schoolboy international rugby for the Wales under-18 national team.[3]
Barnes studied at St Edmund Hall, Oxford, matriculating in 1981. He won three rugby Blues; he played for Oxford against Cambridge University's Rob Andrew in the Varsity match.[4] He graduated from Oxford with a third-class honours degree in history.[5]
Rugby career
While at university, Barnes played club rugby for Newport RFC.[6] He later played for Bristol, including in the 1984 RFU final against Bath. After being on the losing side for Bristol in that match, he joined Bath.[7]
He arrived at Bath aged 22: "disaffected with England and, with my volatile character, I could easily have drifted out of the game altogether. At the time the big joke was that I'd had more clubs than Jack Nicklaus – Newport, Bristol and Bath by 22 and people doubted my character, they thought of me as being very fickle and at Bath I found what I wanted – a rugby home.".[8]
He was nicknamed The Bath Barrel.[9]
Barnes played for the Barbarians against Wales in October 1990, converting three tries in the Barbarians' victory.[10]
Barnes' last game was Pilkington Cup Final against Leicester on 7 May 1994, which Bath won 21–9.
