South African sides will not have the luxury of local referees for their upcoming United Rugby Championship games but will be refereed by northern hemisphere officials.
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This has been confirmed by the URC ahead of the rescheduled games that will take place in March after being postponed because of the Omicron outbreak in December that left some teams stranded in the country.
All four SA Teams will face overseas opposition in March at home, giving them the chance for the first time since joining the competition to have home ground advantage for the games.
The newly appointed head of referees for URC, Tappe Henning, is no stranger to South African sides and there was a collective sigh of relief in the Republic when he was appointed to the role after the four South African sides were at times perplexed with decisions in their opening tour matches in the competition.
But Henning will be heading to South Africa next month to oversee the rescheduled games, and make sure the transition is a smooth one.
“The two biggest drivers in referee appointments are neutrality and merit, and a balance needs to be found between the two,” Henning said of the decision to use neutral referees in South Africa.
While derbies will still use local referees, there is a drive for all cross-border games to use neutral officials, so as to end the home-town debate that often rages over decisions.
Since his appointment Henning has had meetings with the South African teams to address their concerns over officiating, while also meeting with the Springbok management.
He points out that while the introduction into the competition may have been a difficult one for the local sides, they didn’t have the luxury of a proper preparation for European conditions before going into the tournament.
“Preparation for a tournament is always hugely important, and if one thinks back, the SA teams played Currie Cup semis and finals before they went into the URC and there wasn’t time for specific preparations or to address expectations of the URC, so it wasn’t an ideal start.”
Henning admits the fact there was no Referees manager at the time also contributed but feels the strides that have been made since his appointment have been great.
“Not having someone at that stage in the role was difficult because the teams were talking to nobody. It is good how quickly we have been able to talk since I’ve been in the role and I’ve been pleased with the way the South African coaches have approached me for assistance and haven’t played the blame game - they really want to understand, they challenge properly as well.
“Even from the SA international management - Jacques (Nienaber), Deon Davids and Daan Human - they’ve had a meeting with me and are really keen to make this work so that teams can do well in the tournament. Coaches engage me on a daily basis and that is pleasing to see.”
Henning believes the approach of Northern Hemisphere referees isn’t different, but just may take some getting used to.“There is a difference in the focus ares of the game and that determines how the game is played. A big driver for me is to make referees understand they need to allow teams to play as they wish.
“If a team wants to play setpiece and use the scrum, maul and breakdown, they should allow the team to do so. If a team is not fussy and wants to get the ball in and out they should allow them to play. Our job is to facilitate and understand the different cultures, playing styles and philosophies. Refs need to develop their skills to identify and develop what is in front of them and to manage it appropriately to make sure it is fair under the laws.”
Henning is hopeful his presence in working with the refs while in South Africa will massage this transition and provide a better spectacle for all during these games in March.