- Third Super Rugby Final for the 39 year old South African
SANZAAR have announced that South African Jaco Peyper will be the referee for the 2019 Super Rugby final when the Crusaders host the Jaguares this weekend. The match kicks of at 1935 local time in Christchurch, New Zealand.
Nine-time title holders, the Crusaders will be playing in their 14th Super Rugby final (the second with Jaco in charge) compared to the Argentine Jaguares who make their debut final.
The Crusaders finished top of the New Zealand Conference and their total points [58] saw them seeded one for the Final Series. The Jaguares finished top of the South African Conference [51] and were seeded two for the Finals and presently are on a seven-match unbeaten streak.
Peyper will be joined by an all-New Zealand supporting list, with Mike Fraser and Paul Williams assisting on the sides, with Ben Skeen the TMO.
Jaco is now 39 and started refereeing in 2001, rising to make his first class debut in 2007. He is the longest-serving referee on the current Super Rugby refereeing team. Saturday will be his 106th match, putting him third on the all-time Super Rugby referee list behind Jonathan Kaplan [107] and Steve Walsh [110].
His previous two finals were in 2015, when Hurricanes lost out to the Highlanders; and then again in 2017 when the Crusaders beat the Lions in Johannesburg. He has become one of the senior test referees in world rugby having refereed 46 Test matches and will be heading to Japan in the autumn for the 2019 Rugby World Cup.
Super Rugby Final 2019
Crusaders v Jaguares at the Orangetheory Stadium, Christchurch
Saturday 6 July, kick off: 19:35 local [NZ]
Referee: Jaco Peyper
ARs: Mike Fraser & Paul Williams
TMO: Ben Skeen
(Kick-off times: ARG 04:35; GMT 07:35; RSA 09:35; JAP 16:35; AUS 17:35, NZ 19:35)
