You probably don’t want to be reminded about this but it’s only just over six weeks until the clocks go back.

For many of us it’s not a great time; dark nights and the final realisation – if needed – that ‘Winter is Coming’ to borrow an oft-used phrase from the hugely popular fantasy TV drama series Game of Thrones.

For former top referee Chris White, the last weekend of October will have extra significance this year apart from the luxury of an extra hour in bed.

That’s because it’s likely his record for the highest number of Premiership games refereed by one person is likely to be overhauled on 27th, 28th or 29th October.

Cheltenham-based White’s record stands at 190 games, which is just three more than fellow Gloucestershire referee Wayne Barnes.

Barnes will make it game 188 at Kingsholm when Gloucester take on Worcester Warriors tonight and all things being equal will pull level with his good friend in just over two weeks’ time.

The Premiership takes a break for two weeks after that when the European club competitions kick in but returns at the end of the month after which the 38-year-old Barnes should be out on his own at the top of the chart.

And White, as you’d expect, is delighted for him.

“It’s fantastic,” said the 54-year-old. “He’s such a great role model for all young referees coming through. I really enjoy watching him referee.”

So, what makes him so good?

“He’s so professional with a small ‘p’ in everything he does,” said White. “He prepares extremely well, both physically and on the technical aspects of the game.

“He really understands the contests in a game – the tackle, the scrum. He’s the lead referee on the scrum and is a renowned expert in this area.

“That hasn’t happened by accident. He talks to players and coaches and will always go the extra mile or 10 miles to understand what is going on.

“It’s that understanding that allows him to work with players on the pitch to get his message across for the good of the game.”

Barnes is a bright guy – he is a qualified barrister who works in the heart of London – so communicating with players comes fairly easily to him. But there’s a lot more to it than just talking to the likes of Dylan Hartley and Richard Hibbard in the heat of battle, of course.

“These days the game has become quite complex because there are so many layers that you have to consider,” explained White. “There are all the various stakeholders involved – the players, who are the most important; the analytical side, the crowd, the extended TV audience. The better referees are at understanding these layers the better everyone enjoys the product.”

And while it’s the referee’s whistle that can be heard all around the ground when a game gets under way, making sure that the real winner on any given match-day is the game of rugby is no one-man act of course.

Two assistant referees, a TMO and fourth official are all part of the referee’s team and, says White, Barnes will be in regular contact with them in the build-up to a game.

“He’ll leave no stone unturned,” added White. “He’ll talk to them three times in the week leading up to a game.”

It’s this attention to detail in all aspects of the game that has helped Barnes become one of the most respected figures in world rugby, but above all else he also has a deep love for all things rugby.

Brought up in the Forest of Dean – he was born in Bream – Barnes was like many other youngsters in the area in the 1980s… you went to school and you played rugby.

“He has a real passion for the game,” said White, who these days is the RFU National Referee Academy manager . “When we see each other we always chat about rugby in Gloucestershire; what’s going on, which clubs are doing well.”

So how good a referee is he?

“It’s very difficult to rank people,” said White, “because refereeing is subjective but Wayne is very highly regarded. He’s certainly been in the top three or four refs for the past five years.”

White first came across the young Barnes in the mid-1990s.

“I’d been told about this young referee in the Forest,” he said, “but the first time I saw him was as a player. He was playing for Bream Under-17s against Cheltenham Under-17s and I could understand why he was refereeing! He was all arms and legs – he was like an octopus at the lineout!

“The next time I saw him he was refereeing. It was a game between Northampton Colts and Cheltenham Colts which was a high level in those days and it was a tough game for him.”

Fortunately for Barnes he received plenty of support from the Gloucester and District Referees Society – of which White was a member – in those early days and White believes those initial experiences helped to fast-track Barnes’ career.

“One of the reasons Wayne has had the success he has had is because of those early days in Gloucestershire,” said White. “He was refereeing people who had a deep understanding of the game. They were tough games, local derbies – it’s a great breeding ground for referees.”

It stood White in very good stead as well of course. His first top-level game was in 1994 between Harlequins and West Hartlepool and his last also involved Harlequins, at Worcester Warriors, 17 years later.

The game changed dramatically over that period – White was part of the first wave of professional refs at the start of the 1998/99 season – but one thing that hasn’t changed is White’s love of refereeing.

When he spoke to The Local Answer he was looking forward to taking charge of a game between Cheltenham College and Marlborough College and while he can remember a lot of the games he has officiated in he has absolutely no idea how many games he has refereed over the years, even at the highest level.

“I was refereeing even before the Premiership was introduced,” said White with a laugh.

“So although Wayne is about to pass my record for Premiership games, I’ll still have done more top level games than him,” he added, still laughing. “And then there were all the cup games in those days as well!”

White was 48 when he took charge of his last Premiership game so that means Barnes could have another 10 years at the top.

“Referees tend to finish in their mid to late-40s,” said White. “How long Wayne goes on depends on how much he continues to enjoy it. I know he’s really looking forward to the World Cup in Japan in 2019 because that will be a new experience.

“It’s a lifestyle balance. From my point of view I miss the bit being out in the middle but I don’t miss the early morning flights and the very physical training that is required.”

Rugby fans around the world will be hoping that dad-of-two Barnes can continue to juggle his work, family and refereeing commitments well into the mid-2020s because he’s one of the very best around.