Currie Cup Final: Van der Westhuizen to Referee
Marius van der Westhuizen of Western Province has been appointed to referee the final of the 2019 Currie Cup.
That is according to Die Burger of Monday, 2 September 2019 in which a little sentence at the end of an article states: “Marius van der Westhuizen is die skeidsregter vir die eindstryd Saterdag.”
This is the 59th final of the Currie Cup but the great, historic competition is much older than the finals. The first competition, started by the South African Rugby Board, was played in 1889. The 1891 tourists from the Britain and Ireland, brought the Currie Cup to South Africa in 1891 and since 1892 the competition has been known as the Currie Cup, competed for in various formats since then.
In 1939 there was the first final and there were another six finals before 1968, since when there has been a final e very year.
It has been a huge honour for a referee to be appointed to referee the final. The great Boy Louw refereed the 1939 final and in all 27 referees have refereed Currie Cup finals. Marius van der Westhuizen is just the 28th referee so appointed.
Van der Westhuizen’s interest in rugby started as a stats collector for Andy Louwrens and after that in doing analytical work for Peter Schnetler, who will be taking his system to the Rugby World Cup in Japan this year. Attending referees camps inspired Van der Westhuizen to start refereeing himself and, in 2007, at the age of 23, he joined the Western Province Referees’ Society.
In 2009 he first appeared in a South African referees’ panel and went to Craven Week. In 2011 he started refereeing senior provincial matches in South Africa, and from then on his career blossomed.
Internationally, his profile was heightened thorough his performances on the international Sevens circuit , refereeing the final of the Hong Kong Sevens in just his third tournament. That was in 2013 – a very good year for him.
That year, Van der Westhuizen refereed his first Currie Cup match, prophetically the Free State Cheetahs against the Golden Lions, the same opponents in this his first Currie Cup final. That match in 2013 was at Ellis Park and Free State won 30-29. This year’s final is in Bloemfontein.
In 2014 Van der Westhuizen refereed his first Super Rugby match and the next year he refereed his first Test. Till recently Van der Westhuizen was on World Rugby’s elite panel of referees, inexplicably dropped and so not going to the Rugby World Cup in Japan.
Marius van der Westhuizen is one of the best referees in the world.
Referees for Currie Cup Finals
1939: Western Province vs Transvaal: Boy Louw (Western Province)
1946: Northern Transvaal vs Western Province: Carl Basson (Northern Transvaal)
1947: Western Province vs Transvaal: Albie Henkes (Western Province)
1950: Transvaal vs Western Province: Eddie Hofmeyr (Transvaal)
1952: Boland vs Transvaal: Chris Ackermann (Boland)
1954: Western Province vs Northern Transvaal: Ralph Burmeister (Western Province)
1956: Natal vs Northern Transvaal: Bowden Coombe (Natal)
1968: Northern Transvaal vs Transvaal: Bertie Strasheim (Northern Transvaal)
1969: Northern Transvaal vs Western Province: Fonnie van der Vyver (Northern Transvaal)
1970: Griqualand West vs Northern Transvaal: Ben Calitz (Griqualand West)
1971: Transvaal vs Northern Transvaal: Gert Bezuidenhout (Transvaal)
1972: Eastern Transvaal vs Transvaal: Piet Robbertse (Eastern Transvaal)
1973: Northern Transvaal vs Transvaal: Piet Robbertse (Eastern Transvaal)
1974: Northern Transvaal vs Transvaal: Steve Strydom (Orange Free State)
1975: Orange Free State vs Northern Transvaal : Justus Moolman (Eastern Province)
1976: Orange Free State vs Western Province: Gert Bezuidenhout (Transvaal)
1977: Northern Transvaal vs Orange Free State: Jimmy Smith-Belton (Eastern Province)
1978: Orange Free State vs Northern Transvaal: Gert Bezuidenhout (Transvaal)
1979: Western Province vs Northern Transvaal: Steve Strydom (Orange Free State)
1980: Northern Transvaal vs Western Province: Steve Strydom (Orange Free State)
1981: Northern Transvaal vs Orange Free State: Johan Gouws (Eastern Transvaal)
1982: Western Province vs Northern Transvaal: Steve Strydom (Orange Free State)
1983: Northern Transvaal vs Western Province: Johan Gouws (Eastern Transvaal)
1984: Western Province vs Natal: Cassie Carstens (Northern Transvaal)
1985: Western Province vs Northern Transvaal: Steve Strydom (Orange Free State)
1986: Western Province vs Transvaal: Steve Strydom (Orange Free State)
1987: Transvaal vs Northern Transvaal: Freek Burger (Western Province)
1988: Northern Transvaal vs Western Province: Jimmy Smith-Belton (Eastern Province)
1989: Western Province vs Northern Transvaal: Jimmy Smith-Belton (Eastern Province)
1990: Northern Transvaal vs Natal: Freek Burger (Western Province)
1991: Northern Transvaal vs Transvaal: Freek Burger (Western Province)
1992: Transvaal vs Natal: Freek Burger (Western Province)
1993: Natal vs Transvaal: Freek Burger (Western Province)
1994: Orange Free State vs Transvaal: Stef Neethling (Boland)
1995: Natal vs Western Province: Tappe Henning (Northern Transvaal)
1996: Transvaal vs Natal: André Watson (Eastern Transvaal)
1997: Western Province vs Free State: André Watson (Gauteng Falcons)
1998: Blue Bulls vs Western Province: André Watson (Gauteng Falcons)
1999: Natal vs Lions: André Watson (Gauteng Falcons)
2000: Natal vs Western Province: André Watson (Falcons)
2001: Western Province vs Natal: André Watson (Falcons)
2002: Lions vs Blue Bulls: Jonathan Kaplan (Boland)
2003: Blue Bulls vs Sharks: Shaun Veldsman (Boland)
2004: Blue Bulls vs Free State Cheetahs: André Watson (Falcons)
2005: Blue Bulls vs Free State Cheetahs: Jonathan Kaplan (Boland)
2006: Blue Bulls vs Cheetahs: Jonathan Kaplan (Boland)
2007: Free State Cheetahs vs Golden Lions: Mark Lawrence (Mpumalanga)
2008: Sharks vs Blue Bulls: Jonathan Kaplan (Western Province)
2009: Blue Bulls vs Free State Cheetahs: Jonathan Kaplan (Western Province)
2010: Sharks vs Western Province: Craig Joubert (KwaZulu-Natal)
2011: Golden Lions vs Sharks: Mark Lawrence (Mpumalanga)
2012: Sharks vs Western Province: Jaco Peyper (Free State)
2013: Western Province vs Sharks: Jonathan Kaplan (Western Province)
2014: Western Province vs Golden Lions: Craig Joubert (KwaZulu-Natal)
2015: Golden Lions vs Western Province: Rasta Rasivhenge (Western Province)
2016: Free State Cheetahs vs Blue Bulls: Jaco Peyper (Free State)
2017: Sharks vs Western Province: Jaco Peyper (Free State)
2018: Western Province vs Sharks: Jaco Peyper (Free State)
2019: Free State Cheetahs vs Golden Lions: Marius van der Westhuizen (Western Province)
Referees in Finals by Number
7. André Watson
6. Steve Strydom, Jonathan Kaplan
5. Freek Burger
4. Jaco Peyper
3. Jimmy Smith-Belton, Gert Bezuidenhout
2. Piet Robbertse, Johan Gouws, Mark Lawrence, Craig Joubert
1. Boy Louw, Carl Basson, Albie Henkes, Eddie Hofmeyr, Chris Ackermann, Ralph Burmese, Bowden Coombe, Bertie Strasheim, Fonnie van der Vyver, Ben Calitz, Justus Moolman, Cassie Carstens, Stef Neethling, Tappe Henning, Shaun Veldsman, Rasta Rasivhenge
First referee to referee a Final: Boy Louw
First unattached in a Final: Piet Robbertse
Youngest referee in a Final: Rasta Rasivhenge
Most Finals: André Watson
Most Finals Refereed by Province
12 – Western Province
11 – Eastern Transvaal
10 – Orange Free State
6 – Boland
5 – Northern Transvaal
4 – Eastern Province, Transvaal
3 – Natal
2 – Mpumalanga
1 – Griqualand West
Biggest Number of Final Referees by Province
7 Western Province
5 Blue Bulls
4 Boland
3 Valke, KZN
2 Eastern Province, Golden Lions, Free State
1 Griqualand West, Mpumalanga
Name changes
Transvaal became the Gauteng Lions, later the Golden Lions, then the Lions and then again the Golden Lions
Northern Transvaal became the Blue Bulls.
Eastern Transvaal became the Gauteng Falcons, then Falcons/Valke, now Valke.
Orange Free State became Free State, then Free State Cheetahs.
Mpumalanga was formerly South Eastern Transvaal which became South Eastern Transvaal and Lowveld.
Natal is now KwaZulu-Natal and generally known as the Sharks.
