Rametsi, the Final Referee
The final whistle is blown on the 2014 Craven Week when the match between Eastern Province and South Western Districts comes to an end and the man to blow that final whistle is Oregopotse Rametsi, a 28-year-old Leopards referee.
At one stage he had a promising playing career but then turned to refereeing.
Rametsi was born at Ga Rankuwa in Pretoria on the 21 May 1986. He started playing rugby as a flank at Vahalla Primary School but it was at Potchefstroom Boys' High on the banks of the Mooi River that his playing career took off.
In 2001 Rametsi was selected to play for the Leopards Under-15 at the Nike All Star Week. In 2002 he was at the Grant Khomo Under-16 Week and then "my highlight was when I got a chance to represent Leopards at the Coca Cola Under-18 Craven Week in 2004".
Off he went to the Puk Rugby Institute on a playing bursary but in 2008 he started refereeing as well as playing and the next year his playing bursary was changed into a refereeing bursary. He says: "When I made up my mind that was going to referee full time the Puk Rugby Institute also backed me."
His progress as a referee was immediate. In 2010 SA Referees sent him to the Oakdale Week in Riversdale at Easter time and then to the Grant Nkomo in 2010 in midyear. In 2011 he was chosen to attend the IRB TOP in Stellenbosch which provides for referees from many parts of the world. He is currently on the National Panel and this year refereed at the Community Cup and went to Kenya and refereed the Kenyan national team when they played Western Province as part of their warm-up for the World Cup qualifiers in Madagascar.
He says of rugby and refereeing: "I enjoyed the rugby culture – the discipline and the feeling that one gets when hard play pays off. Now I feel the same about refereeing even though it is a challenge."
