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Walsh to referee Super 14 Final

By
Monday 14 May 2007

Steve Walsh of New Zealand is to referee the Super 14 Final between the Sharks and the Bulls at ABSA Stadium in Durban on Saturday afternoon. It is an all-New Zealand team of officials.

The touch judges are Lyndon Bray and Bryce Lawrence, the television match official Kelvin Deaker.

Walsh, who turned only 34 in March, has already had a long career at the top in rugby. He reached first class status in 1994 and has now refereed 25 Tests, his last in Dublin this year when Ireland played at Croke Park for the first time ever. He has had a splendid Super 14.

This will be Walsh's first final. In fact only one other New Zealand referee has refereed a Super rugby final since the introduction of unattached referees in 1996. That was Paddy O'Brien who refereed an all-New Zealand final in 1998 and the only final before this year that did not involve a New Zealand team - when the Brumbies played the Sharks.

Because of the principle of unattached referees and the constant presence of New Zealand teams in the final, there have been scant chances for New Zealand referees to referee finals. Since 1999 the unattached principle has been applied even when the teams in the final are from the same country, thereby taking the heat off a local referee.

The referees in finals are:

1996: Auckland vs Natal: Wayne Erickson (Australia)

1997: Auckland Blues vs ACT Brumbies: Tappe Henning (South Africa)

1998: Auckland Blues vs Canterbury Crusaders: Paddy O'Brien (New Zealand)

1999: Otago Highlanders vs Canterbury Crusaders: Andre Watson (South Africa)

2000: Crusaders vs Brumbies: Andre Watson (South Africa)

2001: Brumbies vs Sharks: Paddy O'Brien (New Zealand)

2002: Crusaders vs Brumbies: Andre Watson (South Africa)

2003: Blues vs Crusaders: Andre Watson (South Africa)

2004: Brumbies vs Crusaders: Andre Watson (South Africa)

2005: Crusaders vs Waratahs: Jonathan Kaplan (South Africa)

2006: Crusaders vs Hurricanes: Jonathan Kaplan (South Africa)

2007: Sharks vs Bulls: Steve Walsh (New Zealand)

Refereeing totals

4 Andre Watson

2 Paddy O'Brien, Jonathan Kaplan

1 Wayne Erickson, Tappe Henning, Steve Walsh

By nationality

South Africa: 7

New Zealand: 3

Australia: 1

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