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The television match official from the Rugby World Cup final is taking a break from the international game and blames a "torrent of criticism and abuse online." Tom Foley made a series of big calls in the title match between New Zealand and South Africa including recommending a red card for All Blacks captain Sam Cane in the first half. The Springboks won the game 12-11. The referee of the match, Wayne Barnes, has since announced his expected retirement and expressed his concerns at the abuse he and his family received on social media for years. England captain Owen Farrell last week stepped away from international rugby temporarily for mental health reasons.







