The appointments for the two semi finals have been announced by SAANZAR. With Craig Joubert unavailable due to his Olympic 7s duties, the referees will be as follows:
Hurricanes v Chiefs at the Westpac Stadium, Wellington
Date Saturday 30 July 2016, kick off 19:35 local
Ref: Angus Gardner (Aus)
ARs: Glen Jackson & Paul Williams
TMO: Ben Skeen
Lions v Highlanders and the Emirates Airlines Stadium, Johannesburg
Date Saturday 30 July 2016, Kick-Off 15:00 local
Ref: Jaco Peyper (SA)
ARs: Ben O’Keeffe & AJ Jacobs
TMO: Shaun Veldsman
Following various critical questions or comments on match official appointments this season, especially on the subject of neutrality, RR.net has asked SANZAAR for a statement on their thinking. We will update when/if that is received.
Update:
In reply to our questions SANZAAR reaffirmed the policy of having the best referees officiare in SuperRugby, not about neutrality.
A spokesman for SANZAAR said, “The SANZAAR Referee Selection Team has selected the best performing referees to officiate in the Semi Finals this weekend. In line with the policy set back in 2009, the best referees will handle the best games, and this is what we have for the 2016 Finals Series. It is a merit-based system that was approved by the National Unions and Head Coaches.”
