Munro to referee ANC Final

Vinny Munro of Canterbury will referee the Air New Zealand Cup Final between Canterbury and Wellington in Christchurch.

This will be Munro’s first Final, the 18th such final. He becomes the 10th referee to referee a Final. Last season he was a touch judge to Bryce Lawrence when Canterbury beat Wellington.

It is part of SANZAR’s policy that referees should be appointed on merit, regardless of place of origin or domicile.

Munro, who is 40, is on the IRB’s panel for specialised assistant referees but still referees. Five times this year he was an assistant referee in a Test involving the Springboks. He made his Super 14 debut last year and will be off to Japan after the Final. On 14 he is an assistant to Keith Brown when Japan play Canada and the week after that he will referee the second Test between Japan and Canada.

One of Munro’s assistant in the Final is Chris Pollock who refereed the 2007 Final.
 
This is just the 18th such Final of what was called the Air New Zealand National Provincial Championship (NPC) and then, since 2006 when the structures were changed, the Air New Zealand Cup.

Dave Bishop refereed the first NPC final, the first two in fact. Paddy O’Brien refereed most finals in his career – 4. Between Bishop and O’Brien it means that Southland have had by far the most referees to referee NPC/ANC finals. Add Bishop’s old classmate Colin Hawke and South Island has certainly dominated. Even Paul Honiss spent time on South Island and Lyndon Bray was born and educated in Dunedin.

At 33, Steve Walsh is the youngest referee to referee a final. The next youngest is Kelvin Deaker who was 34 when he refereed the final in 1999. Bryce Lawrence was 35 and Chris Pollock 36 when they refereed their first Final.

All of the referees who have refereed finals have refereed Test matches – many more Test matches than finals!

Referees for the NPC First Division finals:

1992: Waikato vs Otago: Dave Bishop (Southland)
1993: Auckland vs Otago: Dave Bishop (Southland)
1994: Auckland vs North Harbour: Colin Hawke (South Canterbury)
1995: Auckland vs Otago: Colin Hawke (South Canterbury)
1996: Auckland vs Counties Manukau: Paddy O’Brien (Southland)
1997: Canterbury vs Counties Manukau: Colin Hawke (South Canterbury)
1998: Otago vs Waikato: Paddy O’Brien (Southland)
1999: Auckland vs Wellington: Kelvin Deaker (Hawke’s Bay)
2000: Wellington vs Canterbury: Paul Honiss (Waikato)
2001: Canterbury vs Otago: Paul Honiss (Waikato)
2002: Auckland vs Waikato: Paddy O’Brien (Southland)
2003: Auckland vs Wellington: Lyndon Bray (Wellington)
2004: Canterbury vs Wellington: Paddy O’Brien (Southland)
2005: Auckland vs Otago: Steve Walsh (North Harbour)
2006: Waikato vs Wellington: Bryce Lawrence (Bay of Plenty)
2007: Auckland vs Wellington: Chris Pollock  (Hawke’s Bay)
2008: Wellington vs Canterbury: Bryce Lawrence (Bay of Plenty)

The match officials for the 2009 Air New Zealand Cup Final:

Canterbury vs Wellington at AMI Stadium, Christchurch
Referee: Vinny Munro
Assistant referees: Chris Pollock, Jonathon White
Television match official: Keith Brown
Assessor: Errol Brain