S15: Two refs promoted
SANZAR has promoted two referees for its merit panel which is to last for the rest of the Super 15. They are Jaco Peyper of South Africa and Garratt Williamson of New Zealand.
There are now 12 referees on the merit panel and four on the reserve panel.
The panels are based on the assessment of the referees in the Super 15 so far and is done by former Test referees Tappe Henning (South Africa), Colin Hawke (New Zealand) and Andrew Cole (Australia) as well as former Highlanders and Blues coach Greg Cooper with SANZAR Game Manager, Lyndon Bray, as chairman.
Bray said of the promotion of Peyper and Williamson: “Both of these referees have been tracking very well during the competition. In reviewing the performance of the entire team we found that Garratt and Jaco had consistently performed as well as – if not better than – some of the Merit Panel referees. Their promotion to the Merit Panel gives us a strong base for the future”.
Bray added that the SANZAR Referees selection team was always adamant that it would reward good form in the second half of the Super Rugby competition.
Bray went on to say: “We also have to plan around the workloads that lie ahead for the SANZAR referees who have been selected for the Rugby World Cup.
“Therefore, there will be opportunities to run our reserve referees and perhaps some exciting new refereeing talent towards the end of the competition, depending on where teams are placed in the race for the Finals series. This is extremely important as we need to continue to explore our depth and talent, similar to what we do with the respective teams.”
Panels
Merit Panel: Keith Brown (New Zealand), Stuart Dickinson (Australia), Marius Jonker (South Africa), Craig Joubert (South Africa), Jonathan Kaplan (South Africa), Bryce Lawrence (New Zealand), Mark Lawrence (South Africa), Jaco Peyper (South Africa), Chris Pollock (New Zealand), Steve Walsh (Australia), Jonathon White (New Zealand), Garratt Williamson (New Zealand).
Reserve Panel: Pro Legoete (South Africa), Vinny Munro (New Zealand), Nathan Pearce (Australia), Ian Smith (Australia).
Appointments to Weeks 11 & 12
Week 11
Highlanders vs Blues in Dunedin
Referees: Chris Pollock
Cheetahs vs Brumbies in Bloemfontein
Referees: Marius Jonker
Hurricanes vs Reds in Wellington
Referees: Keith Brown
Waratahs vs Rebels in Sydney
Referees: Jonathan Kaplan
Force vs Crusaders in Perth
Referees: Vinny Munro
Bulls vs Chiefs in Pretoria
Referees: Craig Joubert
Stormers vs Sharks at Newlands
Referees: Steve Walsh
Bye: Lions
Week 12
Hurricanes vs Blues in Wellington
Referees: Jonathan Kaplan
Rebels vs Reds in Melbourne
Referees: Bryce Lawrence
Lions vs Cheetahs in Johannesburg
Referees: Craig Joubert
Chiefs vs Highlanders in Hamilton
Referees: Chris Pollock
Waratahs vs Force in Sydney
Referees: Stuart Dickinson
Stormers vs Crusaders at Newlands
Referees: Steve Walsh
Sharks vs Brumbies in Durban
Referees: Mark Lawrence
Bye: Bulls
