Referees in Super Finals

Tuesday 31 Jul 2012

It's the 20th Super Rugby Final this weekend and, for the second time, Steve Walsh is the referee.

Again this year, the appointment to the Final is on merit. The SANZAR men empowered with the choice have decided that Walsh is the best-performing referee in the Super 15 this year. (It may also be a factor that, as an Australian referee, his is the only country not involved in the Final.)

Earlier and for many years in Super Rugby referees did not referee in their own countries or in matches involving teams from their own countries.

The first-ever Super rugby Final was the Final of the Super 10 in 1993. Transvaal played Auckland in Johannesburg and the referee was Freek Burger of South Africa. After that (not because of that!) 'unattached' referees were used. That changed to 'merit appointments' in 2009 when Jonathan Kaplan of South Africa refereed the Final in South Africa between the South African Bulls and the New Zealand Chiefs.

Up till now the 19 Finals have been refereed by eleven referees.

At least because South African teams have so often been absent from Finals and the principle of appointing unattached referees applied, South Africans have refereed more Finals than referees from the other two countries – six of them for 12 matches.

New Zealand teams have been missing from five Finals. Their four referees have refereed six Finals. One of the Finals was when both Finalists were New Zealand teams and one when both Finalists were South African teams. One referee is of hybrid nationality. Steve Walsh was a New Zealand referee when he refereed his first Final in 2007 but is an Australian referee when he referees the 2012 Final.

Australian teams have been missing from eight Finals. One Australian has refereed a Final, when the Finalists were from New Zealand and South Africa. This year for the second time an Australia will referee the Final for the second time.

André Watson has refereed most Finals, followed by Paddy O'Brien. Both of them have retired as have Freek Burger, Glen Wahlstrom, Wayne Erickson and Tappe Henning. That means that the referees to have refereed a Final and remain active are Jonathan Kaplan, Mark Lawrence, Steve Walsh, Craig Joubert and Bryce Lawrence.

All the referees who have refereed Finals have been Test referees.

The referees, by number of appointments, have been:

5 – André Watson

3 – Paddy O'Brien, Jonathan Kaplan

2 – Steve Walsh

1 – Freek Burger, Glen Wahlstrom, Wayne Erickson, Tappe Henning, Mark Lawrence, Craig Joubert, Bryce Lawrence

Finals

Super 10

1993: Transvaal vs Queensland, 20-17 at Ellis Park, Johannesburg

Referee: Freek Burger (South Africa)

1994: Queensland vs Natal, 21-10 at Ballymore, Brisbane

Referee; Glen Wahlstrom (New Zealand)

1995: Queensland vs Transvaal, 30-16 at Ellis Park, Johannesburg

Referee: Paddy O'Brien (New Zealand)

Super 12

1996: Auckland vs Natal, 45-21 at Eden Park, Auckland

Referee: Wayne Erickson (Australia)

1997: Auckland Blues vs ACT Brumbies, 23-7 at Eden Park, Auckland

Referee: Tappe Henning (South Africa)

1998: Canterbury Crusaders vs Auckland Blues, 20-13 at Eden Park, Auckland

Referee: Paddy O'Brien (New Zealand)

1999: Canterbury Crusaders vs Otago Highlanders, 24-19 at Carisbrook, Dunedin