Q&A: Joubert looks towards the final

Craig Joubert at 32 becomes the youngest referee to referee a Currie Cup Final on 30 October 2010. For any South African referee this match is special. Joubert looks to the final of the Currie Cup, as he answers questions put to him by rugby365.com.

Q: Hi Craig, thanks for chatting to us! Let's go... Tell us, did you expect to referee the Currie Cup Final?

Craig Joubert: "Hi there, my pleasure! Well, one can never expect to be appointed to finals. In South Africa we have four referees on the IRB panel (the most of any country worldwide). Jonathan Kaplan is the world's most experienced referee with over 50 Tests and a number of Currie Cup Finals already under his belt, Mark Lawrence has refereed both Super Rugby and Currie Cup Finals and Marius Jonker is refereeing his third Currie Cup semifinal and has refereed at the Rugby World Cup. Clearly any one of them could just as easily have been refereeing this one.

"It is a privilege to be appointed and I can't wait."

Q: What is special to you about the Currie Cup Final?

Craig Joubert: "My very first rugby memory is of watching Naas in the pouring rain in the 1987 Currie Cup Final, scoring all Northern Transvaal's points in beating Transvaal at Ellis Park. Since that day the Currie Cup has had a very special place in my heart. I have watched a few Currie Cup Finals live, have been the reserve referee for one and the television match official for one - all of which have again reconfirmed what a special day Currie Cup Final day is on the SA Rugby calendar.

"To be out in the middle refereeing this year's edition is a very special moment and one which I have aspired to for years."

Q: Does the composition of the finalists worry you?

Craig Joubert: "All four teams in the semifinals are great teams with some of the greatest legends of Bok rugby amongst them. The semifinals are impossible to call and any permutation is possible. The composition of the two teams that earn the right to compete for the Sir Donald Currie Cup is of absolute no concern to me as whichever two teams it is they will treat the country to another special climax to the Currie Cup season."

Q: The Sharks could be in the Currie Cup Final and you live in Shark country. Does that bother you?

Craig Joubert: "No. I refereed the Sharks vs the Bulls in the final pool game of the 2009 Super 14 in front of a sell-out Absa Stadium where the permutations defined that the Bulls needed to win and the Sharks needed to win, and with a bonus point, to reach the Super 14 play-offs.

"I have that experience of an absolute critical game in front of a full-house in Durban to draw on if the permutations decree that the final is in Durban."

Q: The finalists could be Western Province and the Blue Bulls, a repeat of the Super 14 Final. Does that bother you? Will there be any hangover from that match in your mind? (There was Stormers/WP criticism of you after the match.)

Craig Joubert: "I refereed the Bulls vs WP just last weekend in the Currie Cup and I said then that this is a new competition and that neither party is bringing any baggage and that we've all moved on. I stand by that statement. The fact remains that the big North-vs-South rugby rivalry has such a strong historical significance in our country and it would be a privilege to referee that match if that is how the semi's turn out."

Q: Does the venue matter to you?

Craig Joubert: "Each of them would be special - the Absa Stadium for the unique atmosphere and after match braai and beers on the outer fields, Newlands for all the history and for the magnificent stadium that it is and the passionate people of Cape Town who create such an incredible atmosphere against the backdrop of Table Mountain, and Bloemfontein for the way a city comes to a standstill on Currie Cup Final day in what is arguably the sporting breeding ground of our country."

Q: How are you going to prepare for this match?

Craig Joubert: "Exactly the same as I prepare for any other match. Physically I'll continue to follow my usual training programme and my analysis of the teams will be the same process I have followed for every Currie Cup, Super 14 and Test match I have refereed this year. Whilst the stakes are higher, consistency and belief in the approach which has been successful till now are important to me."

Q: How does your family feel about it all?

Craig Joubert: "My family is thrilled as they know how much the Currie Cup means to me. As they were for the Super 14 Final, they'll be in the crowd on Currie Cup Final day. My only regret is that my dad can't be here to watch. He is the one who installed this passion for South African rugby in me and I know how much he would have enjoyed to watch me referee the Currie Cup Final!"

Some Craig Joubert statistics:
Test matches: 20
Super Rugby matches: 39
Currie Cup matches: 57
Top Test so far: Bledisloe Cup, Australia vs New Zealand 2008
Top Super Rugby match so far: Super 14 Final 2010 - Bulls vs Stormers. Also Sharks vs Bulls (2009)
Top Currie Cup match so far: 2007 CC semifinal - Cheetahs vs Bulls, Bloemfontein