Varsity Cup gets on-side with referees
With the FNB Varsity Cup presented by Steinhoff International set to employ 23-man playing squads in the 2010 season, as part of an experimentation with SA Rugby, the country’s top student rugby tournament will also be working hand-in-hand with South Africa’s referees – off the field – in order to establish a strong working relationship.
“It’s simple, really,” said Varsity Cup Managing Director Duitser Bosman. “The referees are part of the product (of the Varsity Cup)… and they should be made to feel part of it.
“Just as players and coaches in the Varsity Cup have lives away from the tournament, so do the referees,” he added.
“We have made a concerted effort to learn more about those referees that will be officiating in 2010 and we believe that understanding them as human beings, away from the game, will go a long way towards a better working relationship on the field, too.”
When the Varsity Cup was launched on 18 January, all the referees were present and presented to the gathering.
As Bosman and co. look to forge a close working relationship with SA’s top referees, their task will be made easier by the fact that André Watson – South African Rugby’s Manager of Referees – has selected a special panel of referees for the Varsity Cup.
“When we were first approached about the Varsity Cup, back in 2008, we made the best referees in South Africa available to the tournament,” explained Watson to varsitycup.co.za.
“We have done that for two years, but we have now set up a panel of referees for the Varsity Cup – which is a great opportunity for us to develop, test and scout more top-level refs. But it also means the players and coaches in the tournament will have consistency when it comes to the referees.
“At the same time, we have also created a structure whereby the coaches and referees can communicate effectively after matches, which is a great way for everyone to understand more – the refs about the coaches’ thinking and vice-versa.”
Whilst Watson is very excited at the prospect of the eight-man benches in action during the Varsity Cup – “uncontested scrums will be blocked out completely now,” he says
The Varsity Cup referees met with Watson, Tappe Henning and Balie Swart for a camp and course, part team-building, part fitness, part refereeing-specific preparation. The panel of referees for the Varsity Cup is taken from the Provincial Panel – Ben Crouse (Blue Bulls), Archie Sehlako (KwaZulu Natal), Mlungiseli Mdashe (Valke), Matt Kemp (Western Province), Tiaan Jonker (Golden Lions), François Veldsman (Boland), Bongani Maloni (Border) and Luke Burger (Blue Bulls) with Dilbert November (South Western Districts) in reserve.
The 2010 Varsity Cup will see the introduction of 23-man playing squads for the first time in South African rugby history.
France started to use the eight-man bench after a season bedevilled by uncontested scrums and since then top-flight club competitions in England and Italy have already made use of eight-man benches and the Varsity Cup will now be trialling this in conjunction with SA Rugby to see if it has a future in this country.
The extra player on the bench must be a front-row man so that teams have a complete front row on the bench.
André Watson, South African Rugby’s Manager of Referees, explained: “The Varsity Cup has always given us a platform to test things out, and experiment – whether it’s been white cards or power plays – and for that we’re very grateful!
“We will be conducting a survey, with players and coaches, during and after the tournament, as well as using video clips and thereby establishing a full database in order for us to evaluate this experiment properly.
“Funnily enough, uncontested scrums are quite rare in top-level rugby in South Africa, but there is no doubt that having that extra player on the bench will block out the possibility of uncontested scrums completely.”
FNB Maties head coach Chean Roux, who has guided his team to successive Varsity Cup triumphs – in 2008 and 2009, is very excited to be part of this experiment in 2010.
“I’m a coach that always picks five forwards on the bench and I often go into matches with a five-two [forwards vs backs] split,” he told varsitycup.co.za.
“As far as I’m concerned, I will still be choosing five forwards on the bench, but, now, I can also include an extra back – so it’s a great concept as far as I’m concerned. It also throws up some interesting possibilities as far as tactics are concerned, and so it should make for an exciting ruling in more ways than one.”
Ultimately, however, Roux is hoping that the 23-man playing squads will help eradicate uncontested scrums – for good.
He added: “In last year’s Western Province Super League we were forced into uncontested scrums on five occasions – nobody wants that; as a coach, player or a fan; so hopefully this will help stamp out any possibility of uncontested scrums.”
