New Panels for SA refs

Two new panels

André Watson, South Africa’s manager of referees, has made known new panels of referees for 2007. There are radical changes.

The selection committee, chaired by Carel du Plessis, drew up the panels based on the assessment report of each referee, selectors’ reports, and feedback from teams.

The structure of the panels has changed. New panels with new functions have been introduced. There is a specialised panel of touch judges and another panel of specialised television match officials (TMOs).

This is a fundamental shift from past practice.

Speaking on these two new panels, Watson said: “The aim of the touch judges panel and the TMO panel is to breed specialists. I do not believe that top referees automatically make good touch judges or good TMOs – although some do.

“We want the guys to develop and run touch only so that they become the best in the business. The same is true of TMOs. The best touch judges will for example run touch in the Currie Cup final at the end of the year and the best TMO will be the television match official that day.”

Michael Cupido, Louis Mzomba, Peet Badenhorst, Cobus Wessels and Johan Greeff have all been active referees up till now but have volunteered to join this pilot scheme of specialised touch judges. They will no longer be on referees’ panels though that will not preclude them from refereeing within their own societies.

The panel of touch judges is not yet complete and will be added to.

Shaun Veldsman and Johann Meuwesen, who will make up the TMO panel, are both men who have refereed test matches. Because of injury Veldsman spent the whole of the 2006 season as a TMO and proved the worth of specialisation.

The new panels are much changed from those of 2006:

1. Two referees have come onto the National Panel for the first time – Gareth Lloyd-Jones and Lesego Legoete.

2. Five referees have been promoted to the Provincial Top Ten for the first time – Chris Healey, Sindile Mayende, Mtheleni Msileni, Jaco Peyper and Marc van Zyl.

3. Seven referees have been promoted from the Contenders Panel of the Provincial Panel – Jason Jaftha, Tiaan Jonker, Mlungiseli Mdashe, Silulami, George Roper, Joey Salmans and Dudley Stuurman

Speaking about this Watson said: “We are very pleased with the young blood coming through into the panels and making its mark.”

SA Referees' Panels for 2007

National panel (1-6 – order of merit)

1. Jonathan Kaplan (SARU)
2. Marius Jonker (SARU)
3. Craig Joubert (SARU)
4. Mark Lawrence (SARU)
5. Jerome Fortuin (SARU)
6. Willie Roos (SARU)

Rest of National panel (in alphabetic order)

Phillip Bosch (SARU)
Christie du Preez (SARU)
Lesego Legoete (SARU)
Gareth Lloyd-Jones (SARU)
Linston Manuels (SARU)
Deon van Blommestein (SARU)

Provincial Panel Top 10 (in alphabetical order)

Jerome America (Western Province)
Roderick Barry (Western Province)
Stuart Berry (Sharks)
Chris Healey (Sharks)
Sindile Mayende (Sharks)
Mtheleni Msileni (Eastern Province)
Jaco Peyper (Free State)
Lourens van der Merwe (Free State)
Marc van Zyl (Western Province)
Francois Veldsman (Boland)

Provincial Panel Bottom 11 (in alphabetical order)

Mandle Dakuse (Border)
Jason Jaftha (South Western Districts)
Tiaan Jonker (Golden Lions)
Matt Kemp (Western Province)
Mlungiseli Mdashe (Eastern Province)
Silulami Pityoi (Western Province)
George Roper (Blue Bulls)
Joey Salmans (Western Province)
Gert Stander (Golden Lions)
Dudley Stuurman (Western Province)
Fumanekile Yamile (Eastern Province)

Contenders Squad (in Alphabetical order)

Jimmy Aphane (Blue Bulls)
Marius Bonthuys (Griffons)
Stephan Breytenbach (Pumas)
Alwyn Brink (Western Province)
Gerrie Coetzee (Free State)
David Coetzer (Border)
Ben Crouse (Blue Bulls)
Norman Drake (South Western Districts)
Richard Ingram (Sharks)
Christo Jones (Blue Bulls)
Sazi Katiya (Border)
Corné Korff (Eastern Province)
Johan Lourens (Western Province)
Eddie Lubbe (Boland)
Melikhaya Lwana (Griffons)
Charlton Pick (Boland)
Andries Retief (Pumas)
Grant Riddles (South Western Districts)
Archie Sehlako (Sharks)
Gladwin Sehularo (Leopards)
Muller van der Nest (Blue Bulls)

TMO panel:

Shaun Veldsman
Johann Meuwesen

Touch judge panel (to be completed)

Peet Badenhorst
Michael Cupido
Pieter de Bruin
Johan Greeff
Jonathan Mouers
Louis Mzomba
Cobus Wessels

Women’s Panel (in alphabetical order)

 Jenny Bentel (Western Province)
 Eugenia Daniels (Western Province)
 Roslyn Fortuin (Boland)
 Madel Herselman (Golden Lions)
 Kim Smit (Golden Lions)
 Eska Swart (South Western Districts)