Publications
Partners
Cape Town - Retired South African referee Jonathan Kaplan has praised the refereeing performance of Jaco Peyper in the Super Rugby final.
Peyper took charge of the final as Westpac Stadium in Wellington when the Highlanders upset the Hurricanes 21-14 in an entertaining game.
Kaplan commented on the match via his website, www.ratetheref.co.za.
He said it was a thrilling game of rugby played by the two best teams in the competition, but also had a special mention for his compatriot:
Kaplan wrote: “But perhaps the referee, Jaco Peyper, also needs to be mentioned in the same breath. He held his nerve beautifully throughout this fixture, allowed the game to develop at pace, explained his decisions well, prepared immaculately (as evidenced by the timing of his whistle and hand signals) and ultimately delivered the platform for the best two teams in the competition to have a full crack at each other. The players decided the outcome, and the best team on the day won the game.”
Kaplan, though, also expressed his disappointment at the overall standard of refereeing in the competition.
“It was a tough year for the referees in this year’s Super Rugby competition. Personally I felt some of the performances this year were woeful, with some personnel being given the cut. Included in that mix, are some of the TMO decisions which I thought contributed to some shocking decisions with game altering outcomes. It is simply not good enough to be offering this poor quality of officiating at one of the premier provincial tournaments. The public deserve better, and the referees deserve a quality coach!”
