SA Referees Hail Pollock

The four are referees Craig Joubert and Jaco Peyper, assistant referee Stuart Berry and TMO Shaun Veldsman. The occasion is Chris Pollock's decision to retire from international referee and return to being a schoolmaster.

His decision may well be motivated by the arthritis-related problems with his hips that have kept him from refereeing for long periods of time.

This is what his South African colleagues think of him. They were together for several weeks at the world cup sharing the fun and tension of the great competition, top men chosen from thousands around the world.

Pollock has ended his career as one of the 12 top referees in the world.

Stuart Berry

I first met Chris in Durban when he was out for the then Under-21 World Championship back in the early 2000s, and we've kept in touch ever since. He’s been a great host when we have travelled to New Zealand, and an equally good travelling partner when we have travelled together. I have fond Six Nations and general good time memories with Chris. As a referee, probably one of the most professional in his approach to the game – meticulous with his fitness and conditioning, and superb with his game reading and preparation. Always a great addition to a room full of referees.

I look forward to spending time with him when travelling to New Zealand in the future.

Craig Joubert

It has been a real pleasure to have refereed in the same era as Polly. The time we get to spend with our refereeing colleagues from around the world means we truly become friends and Polly is man whose company I have always enjoyed and who I believe has been a really solid referee. The 3 weeks we spent officiating together in Australia during the 2013 Lions tour stands out as an incredibly special time. Not many will know the extent of the injuries and surgery from which Polly needed to recover to take his place on the field in RWC 2015 and I have an enormous amount of respect for the road he has travelled.

Christopher, congrats on a great career, after the conversation in your garage all those years ago you know now that you can look back with pride on a career defined by credibility in the environment. You belonged.

Proud of you, my friend.

Jaco Peyper

Polly, you have been a rock solid and consistent referee since the day I first saw you ref, and you always somehow got a good job done rarely taking centre stage – right up to retirement. I admire your courage to fight back after serious injuries setbacks where most people would just throw in the towel. Great to have shared plenty of workshops, competitions and social interactions with you, mate.

I am grateful to rugby that forged a another good friendship for life. Catch up soon.

Peyps

Shawn Veldsman

It was a pleasure to be part of Chris's refereeing team over the last couple of years.

He made you feel at ease and very relaxed during games. He was very specific in his preparation and knew exactly how he wanted to referee each game.

Chris will sadly be missed by his peers, not only for the character that he was, but also for his contributions to rugby refereeing. I hope that he will find comfort in his decision and I know that he will be an asset to the school where he is going to pursue his career as a teacher.

Good luck, Chris, and thank you for sharing special thoughts and moments with me.