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Cape Town - Retired South African Test referee Jonathan Kaplan has singled out the referees he’d like to see participate in the Super Rugby playoffs.
The final round of league matches take place this weekend before the knockout stages commence.
Kaplan commented on the past weekend’s action, and while he was not particularly pleased with the standard of the officiating, he picked his best referees of the tournament.
Two South Africans - Jaco Peyper and Craig Joubert - are at the top of Kaplan’s list, while the others are Chris Pollock (New Zealand), Glen Jackson (New Zealand), Mike Fraser (New Zealand) and Angus Gardner (Australia).
Kaplan said Peyper deserves to be rewarded with refereeing the final.
“I would think that Jaco Peyper’s performances recently may have set him up very nicely for a crack at a final, and if he misses, it won’t be by much! You heard it here first,” Kaplan wrote on his website www.ratetheref.co.za.
“Another referee who is performing strongly at the business end of the competition is Mike Fraser. A relative novice, even though he has been around for a good few years, his communication and management style set him apart from most of his peers. He did a wonderful job in the Reds v Chiefs match, which clearly meant a lot to both teams, without losing the tempo of the encounter. He is a very good asset for Super Rugby going forward.”
