Van Heerden promoted to Vodacom Super Rugby panel
South African referee Jaco van Heerden has been promoted to the Vodacom Super Rugby panel and will join five compatriots in the competition this year, SANZAR announced on Monday.
Van Heerden, a Pretoria-born Advocate, will join local referees Stuart Berry, Jason Jaftha, Craig Joubert, Jaco Peyper and Marius van der Westhuizen on the panel of 16 match officials for the competition starting on Friday,13 February.
Van Heerden, who officiated the Absa Currie Cup semifinal between the Xerox Golden Lions and Cell C Sharks in Johannesburg last year only a few months after making his debut as a referee in the competition, is one of two new faces on the panel. The other is New Zealand’s Ben O’Keeffe.
The six South Africans will join New Zealand’s O’Keeffe, Nick Briant, Mike Fraser, Glen Jackson and Chris Pollock as well as Australia’s Angus Gardner, Rohan Hoffmann, Andrew Lees, Matt O’Brien and Steve Walsh on the 16-man panel.
All of the match officials are currently at SANZAR’s annual Super Rugby referee camp at the International College of Management in Manly, Sydney.
Commenting on the three-day referee camp and the upcoming season, SANZAR’s Game Manager Lyndon Bray said: “Due to the global nature of our sport and the demands of refereeing, it is incredibly rare to have everyone in the same place at the same time, so it’s vital that we make the most of opportunities like this.
“Our core objectives for 2015 are ‘high intensity, high octane’ and affording players the confidence to play and contest for the ball, which aims to consolidate Super Rugby as the best rugby competition in the world; not only as a product of having the best players, coaches and referees, but also because of the way the game is played.
“After consulting the coaches following the 2014 Super Rugby season, we seek to achieve those goals by way of allowing quick ball at the tackle, faster and more positive scrums, proper setup and defence of the lineout to maul area and ensuring there is space across the field to allow the teams to play as they want to.”
The Crusaders and Rebels will kick off the competition on February 13 at 08h35 (SA time), while the Emirates Lions will meet the Hurricanes at Emirates Airline Park in Johannesburg at 19h10 in the first local clash.
This will be followed by derbies between the Cell C Sharks and Toyota Cheetahs at Growthpoint Kings Park in Durban and the Vodacom Bulls and DHL Stormers at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria respectively on Saturday, 14 February.
Vodacom Super Rugby match officials:
South Africa: Stuart Berry, Jason Jaftha, Craig Joubert, Jaco Peyper, Marius van der Westhuizen, Jaco van Heerden. Australia: Angus Gardner, Rohan Hoffmann, Andrew Lees, Matt O’Brien. New Zealand: Nick Briant, Mike Fraser, Glen Jackson, Ben O’Keeffe, Chris Pollock.
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