ARGUABLY England’s top rugby official, Wayne Barnes, has been chosen to referee the first leg of Worcester Warriors’ Championship play-off final against Bristol.

The vastly-experienced Barnes has appeared in 57 Test matches and named on a 12-man list of referees for this autumn’s World Cup.

Barnes’ appointment for the first leg at Ashton Gate on Wednesday (7.45pm) is set to be confirmed by Championship bosses.

It is not yet known who will referee the second leg at Sixways on May 27.

Bristol have beaten Warriors twice this term and are favourites for promotion.

Warriors director of rugby Dean Ryan has been critical about the consistency of refereeing during the Championship campaign.

He was incensed after Warriors slipped to a 30-26 defeat against Bristol at Sixways in the final league match of the regular season.

Warriors made an official complaint to the RFU after the match in which wing Cooper Vuna and back row forward Jonathan Thomas were sin-binned.

“We were really unhappy with the Bristol game and we said at the time that referees are going to play a part,” said Ryan, before news of Barnes’ appointment emerged.

“We don’t feel we have had great refereeing performances for a long time now as a trend.

"We know that the final is going to be played in a key part by refereeing.

“We have been given assurances that the people coming in to do it are of the highest standard.”

Worcester and England women’s international Rochelle ‘Rocky’ Clark has been named as the England Women’s Player of the Year 2015