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Aimee makes refereeing history

She is the first woman referee in South Africa to be promoted to panels where all the other referees are men. In her case it is the National B Panel of referees, the group just below Super rugby involvement.

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In her playing days she, a biokineticist, played for the South African women's team and will this month become a Test player who has refereed a Test match as she has been appointed to her first Test – Japan vs Fiji in Hong Kong, part of the qualification process for the Women's World Cup.

Egon Seconds, also of the Western Province referees' Society, has shot up onto South Africa's top panel of referees. A former Super Rugby star, Seconds has made rapid progress in just two years of refereeing and has caught the eye of Lyndon Bray, SANZAAR's referee boss, and is now on a panel from which Super Rugby referees will be appointed.

Like Rasta Rasivhenge, Seconds, a wing for the Stormers and Western Province in his playing days, has exceptional speed, and a referee who is always in position has greater credibility and acceptability than one who is not.

These two appointments to panels have come out with the announcement of SARU's match official panels.

The structure of the panels is different this year. The old Elite Panel has been split into two – a Premier Panel and a National A Panel. SA Referees Manager, Banks Yantolo, says that the change has been made to "streamline the process of appointing and ensuring the best available match officials are available for the correct matches".

 

Banks went on to say: "We're constantly working towards improving our systems to ensure not only that we have the best match officials on the field, but also to sustain our position as one of the best refereeing countries in the world."

In practice, the Premier Panel will provide referees for Test matches and Super Rugby. The National A Panel will provide assistant referees for Super Rugby.

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Obviously, both panels will provide referees for South Africa's domestic matches.

Seconds is not the only addition to the top panel as it existed in 2016. AJ Jacobs of the Griffons has also moved up from the National Panel to the newly named National A Panel.

Nobody has been dropped from the 2016 Elite Panel but Stuart Berry is now no longer seen as a Super Rugby referee, after a year in which his first Test involving Tier 1 nations.

Eight of the 12 referees on the top two panels have refereed Test matches, as has Lourens van der Merwe on the National B Panel.

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There are two new referees on the women's panel – Siyanda Ketse of Free State and Lusanda Mtiya (KwaZulu Natal), who in her playing days played for South Africa.

New to the panel of television match officials is Joey Klaaste-Salmans, who is the chairman of the Western Province Referees' Society.

Chean Roux, well known as a coach and part of the Springbok management team in 2016, is one of the selectors and will be one of the Super Rugby selectors, who have in their number a non-referee from each of the countries.

South African Refereeing Panels for 2017

Premier Panel (7): Quinton Immelman, Craig Joubert, Jaco Peyper, Rasta Rasivhenge, Egon Seconds, Marius van der Westhuizen, Jaco van Heerden.

 

National A Panel (5): Stuart Berry, Rodney Boneparte, AJ Jacobs, Cwengile Jadezweni, Lesego Legoete.

 

National B Panel (16): Aimee Barrett-Theron, Ben Crouse, Stephan Geldenhuys, Jaco Kotze, Pieter Maritz, Ruhan Meiring, Paul Mente, Mpho Matsaung, Vusi Msibi, Sindile Ngcese, Francois Pretorius, Jaco Pretorius, Oregopotse Rametsi, Archie Sehlako, Ricus van der Hoven, Lourens van der Merwe.

 

Women’s Panel: Siyanda Ketse, Maria Mabote, Le-Ann MacClune, Lusanda Mtiya, Ashleigh Murray, Bulela Qwane.

 

Sevens Panel: Christopher Allison, Aimee Barrett-Theron, Johre Botha, Griffin Colby, Ben Crouse, Morné Ferreira, Jaco Kotze, Vusi Msibi, Rasta Rasivhenge.

 

TMO Panel: Christie du Preez, Johan Greeff, Marius Jonker, Joey Klaaste-Salmans, Shaun Veldsman, Willie Vos, JJ Wagner.

 

Selectors: Banks Yantolo, Eugene Daniels, Dennis Immelman, Mark Lawrence, Chean Roux, Balie Swart, Deon van Blommestein.

 

National Performance Reviewers: Jacques Hugo, Dennis Immelman, Thuso Mngqibisa, Pierre Oelofse, Willie Roos.

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