Currie Cup Final referees from 1939
Jonathan Kaplan will referee his fourth Currie Cup Final in Durban on Saturday, one of 23 referees to referee a Final since the first Final in 1939.
South Africa’s provincial teams first played in a competition in 1889. The Currie Cup was added in 1892 but there was not a Final till 1939 and then Finals were sporadic till 1968 since when there has been a Final each year.
James Dalton once said that playing in a Currie Cup final was a greater thrill than playing a Test match. There was just one Currie Cup final a year, after all.
Eddie Hofmeyr, Ralph Burmeister, Steve Strydom, Freek Burger refereed more Tests than Currie Cup Finals. André Watson is the only referee in South Africa to be appointed to referee seven Currie Cup Finals. He refereed 27 tests, only seven finals. Tappe Henning refereed 20 tests, one final. Jonathan Kaplan has refereed more Tests than any other South African, but only three finals.
On the other hand Jimmy Smith-Belton refereed no Tests but three Currie Cup finals while his contemporary and Eastern Province colleague, Frans Muller, refereed three Tests and no Currie Cup finals.
Test Referees appointed to the final: Eddie Hofmeyr, Chris Ackermann, Ralph Burmeister, Bertie Strasheim, Gert Bezuidenhout, Piet Robbertse, Steve Strydom, Justus Moolman, Johan Gouws, Freek Burger, Stef Neethling, Tappe Henning, André Watson, Jonathan Kaplan, Shaun Veldsman and Mark Lawrence.
Referees who refereed the Final but never a Test: Jimmy Smith-Belton, Boy Louw, Carl Basson, Albie Henkes, Bowden Coombe, Fonnie van der Vyver, Ben Calitz and Cassie Carstens
It is no wonder that refereeing a Final is so special for a referee, as indeed it is for players.
When there were first finals, the visiting team was given a panel of three referees from whom to choose the referee for the match.
The first final was played at Newlands in 1939, Western Province vs Transvaal. The referee was Boy Louw, a famous Western Province Springbok turned referee. It was the year after he had retired from rugby. Transvaal was captained by his brother and fellow-Springbok Fanie. Transvaal won, and there were no complaints about the referee.
Piet Robbertse of Eastern Transvaal was the first unattached referee to referee a Currie Cup Final. That was in 1973 when Northern Transvaal played Transvaal at Loftus Versfeld – to retain the names of those times. Uniquely Robbertse was the last referee to referee a Final with his own province involved and the first unattached referee.
The referees of Eastern Transvaal (a.k.a. Gauteng Falcons, now Valke) have refereed more Currie Cup Finals than the referees of any other province.
The frequent involvement of provinces such as the Blue Bulls and Western Province in Finals reduced the opportunities for those provinces’ referees to referee Finals since 1973 but increased their chances before 1973.
The following is the list of referees in Currie Cup Finals, (home teams first):
1939: Western Province vs Transvaal: Boy Louw (Western Province)
1946: Northern Transvaal vs Western Province: Carl Basson (Northern Transvaal)
1947: Western Province vs Transvaal: Albie Henkes (Western Province)
1950: Transvaal vs Western Province: Eddie Hofmeyr (Transvaal)
1952: Boland vs Transvaal: Chris Ackermann (Boland)
1954: Western Province vs Northern Transvaal: Ralph Burmeister (Western Province)
1956: Natal vs Northern Transvaal: Bowden Coombe (Natal)
1968: Northern Transvaal vs Transvaal: Bertie Strasheim (Northern Transvaal)
1969: Northern Transvaal vs Western Province: Fonnie van der Vyver (Northern Transvaal)
1970: Griqualand West vs Northern Transvaal: Ben Calitz (Griqualand West)
1971: Transvaal vs Northern Transvaal: Gert Bezuidenhout (Transvaal)
1972: Eastern Transvaal vs Transvaal: Piet Robbertse (Eastern Transvaal)
1973: Northern Transvaal vs Transvaal: Piet Robbertse (Eastern Transvaal)
1974: Northern Transvaal vs Transvaal: Steve Strydom (Orange Free State)
1975: Orange Free State vs Northern Transvaal : Justus Moolman (Eastern Province)
1976: Orange Free State vs Western Province: Gert Bezuidenhout (Transvaal)
1977: Northern Transvaal vs Orange Free State: Jimmy Smith-Belton (Eastern Province)
1978: Orange Free State vs Northern Transvaal: Gert Bezuidenhout (Transvaal)
1979: Western Province vs Northern Transvaal: Steve Strydom (Orange Free State)
1980: Northern Transvaal vs Western Province: Steve Strydom (Orange Free State)
1981: Northern Transvaal vs Orange Free State: Johan Gouws (Eastern Transvaal)
1982: Western Province vs Northern Transvaal: Steve Strydom (Orange Free State)
1983: Northern Transvaal vs Western Province: Johan Gouws (Eastern Transvaal)
1984: Western Province vs Natal: Cassie Carstens (Northern Transvaal)
1985: Western Province vs Northern Transvaal: Steve Strydom (Orange Free State)
1986: Western Province vs Transvaal: Steve Strydom (Orange Free State)
1987: Transvaal vs Northern Transvaal: Freek Burger (Western Province)
1988: Northern Transvaal vs Western Province: Jimmy Smith-Belton (Eastern Province)
1989: Western Province vs Northern Transvaal: Jimmy Smith-Belton (Eastern Province)
1990: Northern Transvaal vs Natal: Freek Burger (Western Province)
1991: Northern Transvaal vs Transvaal: Freek Burger (Western Province)
1992: Transvaal vs Natal: Freek Burger (Western Province)
1993: Natal vs Transvaal: Freek Burger (Western Province)
1994: Orange Free State vs Transvaal: Stef Neethling (Boland)
1995: Natal vs Western Province: Tappe Henning (Northern Transvaal)
1996: Transvaal vs Natal: André Watson (Eastern Transvaal)
1997: Western Province vs Free State: André Watson (Gauteng Falcons)
1998: Blue Bulls vs Western Province: André Watson (Gauteng Falcons)
1999: Natal vs Lions: André Watson (Gauteng Falcons)
2000: Natal vs Western Province: André Watson (Falcons)
2001: Western Province vs Natal: André Watson (Falcons)
2002: Lions vs Blue Bulls: Jonathan Kaplan (Boland)
2003: Blue Bulls vs Sharks: Shaun Veldsman (Boland)
2004: Blue Bulls vs Cheetahs: André Watson (Falcons)
2005: Blue Bulls vs Cheetahs: Jonathan Kaplan (Boland)
2006: Blue Bulls vs Cheetahs: Jonathan Kaplan (Boland)
2007: Cheetahs vs Lions: Mark Lawrence (Mpumalanga)
2008: Sharks vs Blue Bulls: Jonathan Kaplan (Western Province)
NB: Transvaal became the Gauteng Lions, later the Golden Lions, then the Lions and then again the Golden Lions
Northern Transvaal became the Blue Bulls
Eastern Transvaal became the Gauteng Falcons, then Falcons/Valke, now Valke
Orange Free State became Free State
Mpumalanga was formerly South Eastern Transvaal and then South Eastern Transvaal and Lowveld.
First Final: Boy Louw
First Unattached Final: Piet Robbertse
Most Finals: André Watson
Number of Finals:
7 André Watson
6 Steve Strydom
5 Freek Burger
4. Jonathan Kaplan
3 Gert Bezuidenhout, Jimmy Smith-Belton
2 Piet Robbertse, Johan Gouws
1 Boy Louw, Carl Basson, Albie Henkes, Eddie Hofmeyr, Chris Ackermann, Ralph Burmeister, Bertie Strasheim, Bowden Coombe, Fonnie van der Vyver, Ben Calitz, Justus Moolman, Cassie Carstens, Stef Neethling, Tappe Henning, Shaun Veldsman, Mark Lawrence
Ex-Springboks who refereed the Final: Boy Louw
Number of Finals refereed by each province:
11 – Eastern Transvaal
9 – Western Province
6 – Orange Free State
5 – Northern Transvaal
4 – Eastern Province, Boland, Transvaal
1 – Natal, Griqualand West, Mpumalanga
Number of final referees per province:
5 Northern Transvaal, Boland
4 Western Province
3 Eastern Transvaal
2 Eastern Province, Transvaal
1 Natal, Griqualand West, Mpumalanga
