- TMO Veldsman to retire after the match
- Mente referees U21 final
The South African Rugby Union has announced that Marius van der Westhuizen will officiate his first Currie Cup final at the weekend. The final, between Free State and the Golden Lions, takes place at Toyota Stadium in Bloemfontein on Saturday.
Thirty-five- year-old, van der Westhuizen from Cape Town, has been refereeing since 2007 rising up through the Western Province leagues, to referee first class matches in 2011. He became a referee on the World Sevens circuit in 2013, and joined SANZAR’s referee list for the 2014 Super Rugby season, taking charge of his first match when the Lions met the Crusaders. In 2015, he refereed at the 2015 Tbilisi Cup, in so doing, becoming the 69th test referee for South Africa
The Final will also see a final of it’s own, as the experienced Television Match Official, Shaun Veldsman (pictured right), will retire from the game after an illustrious career spanning over 20 years.
As a referee, Veldsman took charge of three Tests, refereed the 2003 Currie Cup final and held the whistle in two U19 World Championships, among other international tournaments. After hanging up his whistle as a referee, he moved into the TMO truck, involved in both 2011 and 2015 Rugby World Cups – including the 2015 final in London.
To complete the team of four, van der Westhuizen will be assisted on the field by AJ Jacobs and Egon Seconds.
Other finals
In true SARU style, the Currie Cup Final will be preceded by a host of other big finals around the country. Paul Mente has been appointed as the referee for the SA Rugby U21 Championship final, which will be hosted as a curtain-raiser to the main final. Ben Crouse and Griffin Colby have been appointed to assist Mente.
The SA Rugby Women’s Interprovincial final referees have also been appointed, with Maria Mabote taking charge of the A Section final and Bulela Qwane the B Section final, both of which will be hosted at City Park in Cape Town on Saturday.
Cwengile Jadezweni will be in charge of the Currie Cup promotion/relegation game between the Pumas and the Griffons, in Nelspruit on Friday afternoon.
Congratulations
“I would like to congratulate all the match officials who have been appointed to officiate the four finals on Saturday,” said SA Rugby CEO Jurie Roux.
“These appointments were based on their consistency and efficiency throughout the season, which is a testament to their performances with the whistle.
“I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Shaun for his fantastic service as a referee and TMO over the last 20 years and to wish him well for his future endeavours.
“It is fitting that he retires from the game in SA’s premier domestic competition, where he served in both refereeing and TMOing roles.”
Referee appointments
Currie Cup Final: Toyota Free State v Xerox Golden Lions
Referee: Marius van der Westhuizen
ARs: AJ Jacobs and Egon Seconds
TMO: Shaun Veldsman
Currie Cup promotion / relegation match:
Phakisa Pumas v Down Touch Griffons
Referee: Cwengile Jadezweni
ARs: Stephan Geldenhuys & Jaco Pretorius
TMO: Johan Greeff
SA Rugby U21 final
Vodacom Blue Bulls v DHL Western Province
Referee: Paul Mente
Assistant referees: Ben Crouse & Griffin Colby
TMO: Shaun Veldsman
Women’s Interprovincial finals
A Section Final: Western Province v Border
Referee: Maria Mabote
B Section Final: Golden Lions v SWD
Referee: Bulela Qwane
