Referees for Five Finals
This is a crunch weekend in South African rugby, enormously so with five matches that will produce final results of great moment.
It starts on Friday, 6 September 2019 with the harshest of the five matches - the promotion relegation match between the Pumas, who were the bottom side in the Premier Division of the Currie Cup, and the Griffons of Northern Free State who were the top side in Division 1. The winner will be in the Premier Division in 2020.
Cwengile Jadezweni of the Western Province Referees' Society will referee that match in Nelspruit.
Then on Saturday there will be four finals, reaching a climax with the Currie Cup Final, which will be refereed by Marius van der Westhuizen of Western Province, the 28th referee to referee the final of a great competition that first kicked off in 1889.
The curtainraiser to the Currie Cup final will be the Under-21 final between the Blue Bulls and Western Province with Paul Mente of Border to referee it.
There are also two women's finals, both to be played at City Park in Cape Town, first the B Section final between the Golden Lions and SWD, to be refereed by Bulela Qwane of Western Province, and then the A Section final between Western Province and Border, to be refereed by Maria Mabote of the Griffons.
The full list of matches, venues, kick-off times and match officials is below.
The TMO oat the two matches in Bloemfontein is Shaun Veldsman who is retiring from refereeing activities after this match. He had a great career as referee over a period of 20 years, the referee in the Currie Cup final of 2003 between the Blue Bulls and the Sharks, and in that same year he became South Africa's 61st Tests referee when he refereed a match between Canada and Argentina.
Appointments to the Five Matches
Currie Cup Promotion/Relegation
Pumas vs Griffons at Venue: Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit
Date: Friday, 6 September 2019
Kick-off: 17.00
Television broadcast: SuperSport channel 201
Referee: Cwengile Jadezweni
Assistant referees: Stephan Geldenhuys, Jaco Pretorius
Television match official: Johan Greeff
Women’s Interprovincial Finals
B Section Final at City Park, Cape Town
Golden Lions vs SWD
Date: Saturday, 7 September 2019
Kick-off: 13.00:
Referee: Bulela Qwane
;Dylan November, Local
A Section Final at City Park, Cape Town
Western Province vs Border
Date: Saturday, 7 September 2019
Kick-off: 15.00
Referee: Maria Mabote
Assistant referees: Dylan November, Local
SA Rugby Under-21 Final
Blue Bulls vs Western Province
Venue: Toyota Stadium, Bloemfontein
Date: Saturday, 7 September
Kick-off: 13.45
Television broadcast: SuperSport channel 201
Referee: Paul Mente
Assistant referees: Ben Crouse, Griffin Colby
Television match official: Shaun Veldsman
Currie Cup Final
Free State vs Golden Lions
Venue: Toyota Stadium, Bloemfontein
Date: Saturday, 7 September 2019
Kick-off: 17.00
Television broadcast: SuperSport channel 201
Referee: Marius van der Westhuizen
Assistant referees: AJ Jacobs, Egon Seconds
Television match official: Shaun Veldsman
Information from SA Rugby Communications