SA Referees: The return of Du Preez
After a meeting in Cape Town, the SA Referees' Association announced its new panels for 2014.
Three changes are obvious – the absence of Jonathan Kaplan and the promotion of Jaco van Heerden and the return of Christie du Preez.
After 21 years on the National Panel in South Africa, Kaplan has decided to retire from international and interprovincial refereeing while continuing to referee at clubs in the Western Province and schools.
For a while Du Preez was used as an assistant referee while he continued to referee clubs and schools in the Eastern Province.
He made a comeback to refereeing in 2013 at Under-19 interprovincial, Varsity Cup and club levels. He was one of assistant referees for the Currie Cup Final.
He was after all on the IRB's panel of assistant referees and was on the line in Tests in Argentina, New Zealand, and Australia.
Last year the top panels were the Super Rugby panel, chosen by SANZAR and the National Panel chosen by SA Referees.
Van Heerden was one of the National Group.
In 2013 Van Heerden of the Blue Bulls Referees' Society refereed top matches at Under-21.
With his promotion Van Heerden has a contract with SARU.
Also on the Elite Panel are Lesego Legoete, who has been there before, Rasta Rasivhenge, who has made such a name for himself in Sevens, and Marius van der Westhuizen, who did so well at Sevens in 2013 but made the change to top 15-man rugby so successfully that he refereed Currie Cup matches, including a semifinal of the Currie Cup.
There are those who have dropped a bit.
Sindile Mayende is no longer on the elite group and Francois Groenewald, Matt Kemp and Pieter Janse van Vuuren are no longer on the National Group.
The top women's panel has thinned out considerably but a panel has been established to try to rectify the situation. One of those in this new group is Yolanda Meiring of the Blue Bulls, who has been South Africa's outstanding women's player, following in the footsteps of Marlize Jordaan who moved from playing to refereeing and is now one of the top in the world.
Super Rugby Panel (chosen by SANZAR):
Stuart Berry (South Africa)
Jason Jaftha (South Africa)
Craig Joubert (South Africa))
Jaco Peyper (South Africa)
Lourens van der Merwe (South Africa)
Marius van der Westhuizen (South Africa)
Elite Panel (10 – In alphabetical order)
Stuart Berry
Christie du Preez
Jason Jaftha
Marius Jonker
Craig Joubert
Lesego Legoete
Jaco Peyper
Rasta Rasivhenge
Marius van der Westhuizen
Lourens van der Merwe
Jaco van Heerden
National Panel (18 – In alphabetical order)
Rodney Bonaparte (Eastern Province)
Ben Crouse (Blue Bulls)
Gerrie de Bruin (Blue Bulls)
Daniel Fortuin (Western Province)
Stephan Geldenhuys (Blue Bulls)
Quinton Immelman (Western Province)
Cwengile Jadezweni (Western Province)
Lusanda Jam (Border)
Tiaan Jonker (Golden Lions)
Jaco Kotze (Free State)
Sindile Mayende (Border)
Eduan Nel (Golden Lions)
Tahla Ntshakaza (Golden Lions)
Francois Pretorius (Western Province)
Jaco Pretorius (Valke)
Lihan Pretorius (Valke)
Oregopotse Rametsi (Leopards)
Archie Sehlako (Natal)
Women's Panel
Marlize Jordaan (Free State)
Henchalla Oerson (Boland)
SA Referees' Squads
Selection and Grading Committee recommended that the following officials be invited to partake at Easter School Festivals in 2014, after which the Contender Squad of approximately 20, will be confirmed.
Viv Richard Adams (Boland)
Nathan Barry (Western Province)
Blake Beattie (Sharks)
Loyiso Bosman (Border)
Patrick Bulwana (Border)
Tony Correia (Blue Bulls)
Eugene de Wet (Valke)
Jaco de Witt (South Western Districts)
Jan Ruaan du Preez (Golden Lions)
Wilko Esterhuizen (Blue Bulls)
Dirk Wilhelm Fortuin (Valke)
André Goliath (South Western Districts)
AJ Jacobs (Griffons)
Charl Jacobs (South Western Districts)
Jonathan Jordaan (Boland)
Jabian Joseph (Boland)
Pieter Maritz (Blue Bulls)
Ruan Meiring (South Western Districts)
Sakkie Meyer (Free State)
Ananias Tebogo Mochabo (Valke)
Godwill Morobe (Leopards)
David Mosiane (Golden Lions)
Denis Mpiti (Border)
Vusumuzi Msibi (Sharks)
Bulelani Naka (Border)
Sindile Ngcese (Eastern Province)
Mark Norris (Eastern Province)
Quinten Pretorius (Golden Lions)
Khotso Lebohang Raleting (Free State)
Nico Schmahl (Griquas)
Richard Schwulst (Golden Lions)
Phuluso Sejosing (Border)
Nathan Swartz (Western Province)
Cornell Titus (Griquas)
Fernando Uithaler (Eastern Province)
Divan Uys (Western Province)
Ricus van der Hoven (Pumas)
Wesley van der Linde (Sharks)
James van Oudtshoorn (Leopards)
Henrico van Rooyen (Griffons)
Jan Venter (Blue Bulls)
Renier Vermeulen (Golden Lions)
Zane Watson (Sharks)
Terence Westcott (Blue Bulls)
Selection and Grading Committee recommended that the following women officials be invited to be placed on programme and be tested in 2014, after which a Women Contender Squad will be confirmed.
Lucretia Aucamp (Eastern Province)
Aimee Barrett (Western Province)
Marguerite Conradie (Western Province)
Chandre Deal (South Western Districts)
Melany Duthie (Boland)
Larentia Fred (South Western Districts)
Annique Geswind (Western Province)
H Jansen van Rensburg (Golden Lions)
Siyanda Ketse (Free State)
Mummy Mabote (Griffons)
Le-Ann MacClune (South Western Districts)
Mombebelo Mayongo (Griffons)
Yolanda Meiring (Blue Bulls)
Ashleigh Murray (Golden Lions)
Ronel September (South Western Districts)
Lize Strydom (Free State)
Elizna Wilsnagh (Valke)
SA Primary Schools Group
To be confirmed in April 2014
Assistant Referees (6)
(In alphabetical order)
Stefan Breytenbach (Pumas)
Francois de Bruin (Griquas)
Linston Manuels (Boland)
Sieg van Staden (Valke)
Marc van Zyl (Western Province)
Cobus Wessels (Blue Bulls)
TMO Panel
(In alphabetical order)
Johan Greeff (Blue Bulls)
Marius Jonker (Natal) (to be confirmed)
Jonathan Kaplan (Western Province) (to be confirmed)
Deon van Blommestein (Western Province)
Shaun Veldsman (Boland)
Willie Vos (Golden Lions) – in training
Performance Reviewers
To be deployed nationally
Manager: Mark Lawrence
Neville Heilbron
Keith Hendricks (Boland)
Jacques Hugo (Eastern Province)
Dennis Immelman (Western Province)
Pierre Oelofse (Valke)
Willie Roos (Valke)
Deon van Blommestein (Western Province)
Banks Yantolo (Border)
To be deployed regionally
Coaches
National Coaches
Manager: Mark Lawrence
Scrum coach: Balie Swart
Deon van Blommestein
Johan Zurich
Academy Coaches
Manager: Eugene Daniels
Sieg van Staden
Jamiel Panday
Peer Coaches
Craig Joubert
Jaco Peyper
Scouting
Theuns Naudé and National coaches and staff.
Timekeepers
(In alphabetical order)
Albert Mocke (Free State)
Gabriel Pappas
Kat Swanepoel (Griquas)
Pieter van der Merwe (Golden Lions)
