Cape Town - Former Springbok coach Nick Mallett has lauded the performance of the South African Super Rugby referees on duty this past weekend.
Marius van der Westhuizen refereed the Bulls v Brumbies clash in Canberra, Jaco van Heerden the Sharks v Rebels clash in Durban, Craig Joubert the Stormers v Cheetahs clash in Cape Town, while Jaco Peyper was on duty for the Lions’ duel with the Waratahs in Johannesburg.
The Waratahs, in particular, seemed frustrated with some of the calls Peyper made during their 27-22 defeat, while two of their players (Rob Horne and Jacques Potgieter) also received yellow cards for dangerous tackles.
However, Mallett said the Australians can have no reason to feel hard done by.
“South Africa can be very proud of our referees over this weekend,” Mallett said in the SuperSport studio.
“Jaco van Heerden had a very good game, he was very calm and made some excellent decisions. Marius van der Westhuizen reffed the Brumbies and Bulls game very well. Jaco Peyper and Craig Joubert are top referees and they showed that again today (Saturday).
“Unlike what happened when our teams went overseas, their players cannot complain about the way they were refereed. Our refs were very fair and the South African rugby referees' association must be congratulated on the performance of our referees.”