Wayne Barnes is a forward thinking kind of guy.

The 38-year-old, acknowledged as one of the leading referees in the game, is not one for looking back at what he has achieved… his focus is on only what lies ahead.

The immediate focus is on Kingsholm tomorrow evening for the game between Gloucester and Worcester Warriors – which just happens to be the 188th Premiership game that Barnes will referee.

After that game, he will be just two behind his close friend and leader of the pack Chris White, who has been at the top of the pile for several years now.

While it will be a big achievement when Barnes does go past Cheltenham-based White – all things being equal at the end of October – he says that his motivation is not breaking records.

“I’m not really a stats man,” admitted Barnes. “I don’t keep count of the games I’ve refereed. I know I’ve been refereeing in the Premiership for 14 years but I don’t like to reflect too much.

“Rugby is constantly changing and I think if you start to reflect too much you can lose the pace of the game. You’ve got to look forward.”

So, what does the future hold?

“That’s the problem with milestones,” Barnes chuckled. “People always start talking about the end of your career!

“I’m still only 38 and I’m still one of the youngest world rugby referees.

“The best thing about milestones is that my name gets mentioned in the same breath as the likes of Chris White, Tony Spreadbury and Ed Morrison. I grew up looking up to them and Tony is still my coach today while I also do a lot of work with Chris.”

It’s not just in domestic rugby that Barnes is clocking up impressive numbers. He has refereed in “70-something internationals” and taken charge of more World Cup games than anyone else.

And there’s plenty of time to add to those figures, of course, with Barnes particularly looking forward to the 2019 World Cup in Japan.

“I’ve refereed in Japan before and it’s a country that has really impressed me,” he said. “To be out there for seven or eight weeks with the 12 or so other referees will be pretty special. We build up quite a strong camaraderie.”

While it’s the referees who grab much of the limelight, Barnes is keen to stress that it’s not just down to the man in the middle if players, supporters and the like go home happy at the end of a game.

“It’s not just me, it’s very much a team effort,” he said. “You’ve got two assistant referees and a TMO. They’re doing what they’re doing and they’ve got proper jobs as well. It’s very nice for professional referee Wayne Barnes that he’s close to the Premiership record but what about the TMO who has done 200 games and at the same time is a school teacher? They’re the unsung ones.”

Barnes, of course, continues to work as a barrister when his rugby commitments allow, and while he is happy to lay down the law to any player who offends on the rugby field he knows that if he is guilty of letting his own standards drop the big games will stop coming.

That’s highly unlikely to happen but Barnes added: “Just because I’ve refereed 190-odd Premiership games doesn’t mean I am still going to get the big matches. I still have to perform.

“We’ve got some really good young referees coming through – Craig Maxwell-Keys, Christophe Ridley and Tom Foley – who keep me on my toes. They’re bloody talented. Christophe is an ex-Leicester Academy player and I think he’ll get his first Premiership game this season.”

He’s got some way to go to match Barnes, of course, who is looking forward to returning to the county of his birth tomorrow evening.

The young Barnes grew up in the Forest of Dean – his parents still live there – and although he played the odd game at Kingsholm as a junior, he rarely if ever watched games at the home of Gloucester rugby.

“There was a big gap between the Forest of Dean and Gloucester both geographically and culturally,” he laughed.

“I do enjoy refereeing at Kingsholm. The only thing is, when the home supporters start singing ‘We know where you live’… they do! I do worry about mum’s windows!”