English referee Wayne Barnes will take a step into the Lions' den later this month after being invited to officiate the Air New Zealand Cup match between Wellington and Southland in Wellington.

Barnes, who many New Zealanders still blame for the All Blacks' exit to France in the 2007 World Cup quarter-final, will referee the Lions' match against the Stags on Thursday September 24 after being the assistant referee in the All Blacks' Tests against South Africa, in Hamilton on September 13, and Australia in Wellington the following weekend.

New Zealand Rugby Union high performance referee manager Lyndon Bray said: "This level of co-operation between countries will hopefully help leverage for New Zealand referees to have opportunities in England, and possibly see swaps between the European Cup and Super 14, within the foreseeable future."