Foremost South African referee Jaco Peyper has decided to hang up his whistle, with Mark Alexander, the president of SA Rugby, hailing the Bloemfontein-based match official as one of the best ambassadors for South African rugby in the last decade.
The 43-year-old Peyper refereed the last of his 67 Tests – third most by a South African match official behind Jonathan Kaplan and Craig Joubert – at last year’s Rugby World Cup. He was involved in three RWC tournaments, and handled numerous playoffs at United Rugby Championship, Super Rugby, Champions Cup and Currie Cup level.
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Peyper, who is the sixth most-capped Test referee in history, was in charge in nine finals – five Currie Cup, three Super Rugby and one Champions Cup – as well as two RWC quarter-finals. He also refereed numerous matches in the Six Nations and Rugby Championship, as well as one Test between the All Blacks and the British & Irish Lions in 2017.
An esteemed career for Peyper
Peyper made his Test debut when he took charge of the match between Kenya and Zimbabwe in July 2011, and his last Test was the RWC 2023 quarter-final between Wales and Argentina in Marseille on 15 October. He refereed 14 matches across three Rugby World Cups (2015-23), with Japan 2019 quarter-final between Wales and France his 50th Test in the middle.
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Peyper said that rugby was part of his DNA and that he was privileged to have spent so many years involved in the game.
“I literally grew up next to the rugby field as my dad was a coach, and later on I played and coached the game before I took up the opportunity to go into refereeing,” said Peyper.
“There are always tough times at high end refereeing, but since making my first-class debut 17 years ago, rugby has only been good to me.
“It’s been a great journey, I have made many wonderful friends and I’ve been fortunate enough to visit many fantastic places around the world.
“All things considered, now is perhaps the best time to step away from active refereeing to spend more time with my lovely wife and two beautiful daughters, as well as my growing business interests.
“There are many people I would like to thank and will do so personally, but I want to give a special word of thanks the CEOs of SA Rugby for backing me, the support I’ve received from the High-Performance division, my fellow match officials and specifically the Springboks, whom I’ve worked with closely and who have helped me become a better referee.
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Retires at the top of his ‘game’
“Rugby is part of my life and although I’m closing the door on active refereeing, I would love nothing more than to stay involved in this wonderful game, and plough back after what it’s given me.”
World Rugby Chairman Sir Bill Beaumont said: “Jaco has been a fantastic ambassador for rugby, a role model for aspiring referees and will be remembered as one of the greats of international and club refereeing.
“But above all the accolades, he is a great person. He cares deeply about the game and championing his fellow match officials. He has played a huge role in the development of burgeoning international referees and is a calm, assured presence within a great team.
“It takes a special type of person to be at the top of their game in the most challenging of arenas, and Jaco has done that superbly. In short, he is a credit to rugby, his nation and his family, and I wish him all the best as he begins a new and exciting chapter.”
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