Peyper gets the Final
Jaco Peyper, who has been having a glorious refereeing year, has been appointed to referee the Currie Cup Final of 2012. He is the 26th referee to referee a Currie Cup Final.
On Saturday, Peyper was an assistant referee in Brisbane when Craig Joubert refereed the third Bledisloe Cup match of the year. Peyper got back to Bloemfontein on Monday morning and received the news of the Final. He said later: "It's a shock to my system."
As with players, a Currie Cup Final is a huge opportunity and honour. This year Peyper will have refereed eight Tests but there is only one Currie Cup Final. Not that the 32-year-old Bloemfontein lawyer, an Old Boy of Grey College, is new to the Currie Cup. He refereed his first match in the First Division of the Currie Cup in 2007 and has refereed 40 Currie Cup matches all told – plus Super Rugby Matches and Tests. Top him, the Currie Cup is special and to be appointed to referee the Final the greatest honour.
There are two other Finals in Durban on Saturday – the Under-21 and the Under-19.
Lourens van der Merwe, who will become a Test referee when he referees Canada against Russia in Wales next month, the first of his two Tests in the Northern autumn, referees the Under-21 Final.
The referee for the Under-19 Final is Rasta Rashivenga who has been making a great name for himself on the IRB's Sevens circuit.
This year Peyper was selected to the IRB's merit panel, making him one of the nine top referees in the world.
Also this weekend is the second promotion-relegation match between the Free State Cheetahs and the Eastern Province Kings. Jonathan Kaplan refereed the first leg in Bloemfontein and Craig Joubert will referee the second leg in Port Elizabeth on Friday evening.
The Appointments
Promotion-Relegation
Eastern Province Kings vs Free State Cheetahs at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth
Referee: Craig Joubert
Assistant referees: Quintin Immelman, Cobus Wessels
Television match official: Johann Meuwesen
Assessor: Willie Roos
Currie Cup Final
Sharks vs Western Province at Mr Price KINGS PARK, Durban
Referee: Jaco Peyper
Assistant referees: Christie du Preez, Stefan Breytenbach
Reserve referee: Jason Jaftha
Television match official: Johann Meuwesen
Assessor: Banks Yantolo
Under-21 Final
Blue Bulls vs Western Province at Mr Price KINGS PARK, Durban
Referee: Lourens van der Merwe
Assistant referees: Sindile Mayende, Stefan Breytenbach
Television match official: Gerrie Coetzee
Assessor: Keith Hendricks
Under-19 Final
Blue Bulls vs Western Province at Mr Price KINGS PARK, Durban
Referee: Rasta Rasivhenge
Assistant referees: Archie Sehlako, Reuben Rossouw
Television match official: Gerrie Coetzee
Assessor: Arrie Schoonwinkel
