Four SA referees named on Super Rugby panel
22 January 2020 | Sports
The experienced Jaco Peyper, along with AJ Jacobs, Rasta Rasivhenge and Marius van der Westhuizen are the four South African referees on the 12-man Vodacom Super Rugby referee panel for the 2020 season, Sanzaar confirmed on Monday.
The 39-year-old Peyper is the most experienced referee on the panel with 106 competition matches under his belt, as well as 50 tests.
The panel was reduced in size from 15 in 2019. As in previous years, the 12-man team comprises a mix of very experienced referees and emerging match official talent with one or two years of Super Rugby behind them.
In preparation for kick-off on 31 January, the Super Rugby refereeing team recently attended a camp in Stellenbosch, where they reviewed game management protocols from the previous year and proactively assessed the requirements for the new season, given World Rugby directives and potential law trials.
Super Rugby CEO Andy Marinos said: “Ensuring we continue to deliver world-class and best performance match officiating is hugely important to the integrity of Super Rugby. Vodacom Super Rugby has led the way, I believe, in match officiating, but we cannot afford to be complacent. Therefore, we are constantly adapting and innovating to ensure our match officials are the best they can be. This year, we have reduced the referee team from 15 to 12 following intense scrutiny of performance and the objectives we want to meet, as identified by the Stellenbosch camp in South Africa recently. This smaller, tighter team we believe will deliver greater consistency of performance and better critical decision-making processes to ensure Vodacom Super Rugby delivers fantastic rugby for the players and fans,” added Marinos.
NAMPA/ANA
The 39-year-old Peyper is the most experienced referee on the panel with 106 competition matches under his belt, as well as 50 tests.
The panel was reduced in size from 15 in 2019. As in previous years, the 12-man team comprises a mix of very experienced referees and emerging match official talent with one or two years of Super Rugby behind them.
In preparation for kick-off on 31 January, the Super Rugby refereeing team recently attended a camp in Stellenbosch, where they reviewed game management protocols from the previous year and proactively assessed the requirements for the new season, given World Rugby directives and potential law trials.
Super Rugby CEO Andy Marinos said: “Ensuring we continue to deliver world-class and best performance match officiating is hugely important to the integrity of Super Rugby. Vodacom Super Rugby has led the way, I believe, in match officiating, but we cannot afford to be complacent. Therefore, we are constantly adapting and innovating to ensure our match officials are the best they can be. This year, we have reduced the referee team from 15 to 12 following intense scrutiny of performance and the objectives we want to meet, as identified by the Stellenbosch camp in South Africa recently. This smaller, tighter team we believe will deliver greater consistency of performance and better critical decision-making processes to ensure Vodacom Super Rugby delivers fantastic rugby for the players and fans,” added Marinos.
NAMPA/ANA
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