Watson gets top award

At the grand IRB Awards Ceremony at Billingsgate in London on Sunday evening, André Watson received the Referee Award for Distinguished Service.

He is the eighth referee so honoured.

Two other referees who have refereed World Cup Finals have received the award – Ed Morrison and Derek Bevan.

The award was first made in 2001 and Morrison was the first recipient. He refereed the 1995 World Cup Final in Johannesburg and has stayed involved in refereeing, currently in charge of England’s top referees.

The second recipient, in 2002, was top New Zealand referee, Colin Hawke who has been in charge of New Zealand’s elite referees.

Derek Bevan, who refereed the 1999 World Cup Final received the third award. He is much used as a TMO nowadays.

In 2004 the award went to Jim Fleming, MBE, after a long and distinguished career in refereeing, for years and years Scotland’s top referee. He has stayed in refereeing, helping with assessment.

Paddy O’Brien of New Zealand, currently the world’s refereeing boss followed in 2005 and he was followed by Peter Marshall, currently in charge of Australia’s referees.

Last year’s recipient was Dick Byres of Australia who refereed 14 Tests and then when the IRB introduced its system of having referee selectors in 1997 he was one and stayed on till he retired in 2007.

If one wonders why the referee for the first World Cup Final, Kerry Fitzgerald of Australia is not there, it is because he died suddenly in Brisbane at a young age.

Watson, of course, has excellent qualifications for such an award – the only referee to referee two World Cup Finals, the only man to do so. In all he refereed 27 Tests, 50 Super 12 matches and 99 Currie Cup matches for 274 first class matches in all.  He refereed five Super 122 Finals and seven Currie Cup Finals.

At present Watson, energetic as ever, runs South Africa’s referees.