Jaco Peyper celebrated his retirement as a rugby referee — a meal with his wife. Two weeks later he had to take her back “to the same restaurant, [get] another bottle of wine, and I had to explain to her that I am back into rugby. It has been quite a turnaround, but I guess when rugby is in your blood, it is hard to stay away.”
South African head coach Rassie Erasmus prevailed upon Peyper to join the Springbok set-up, the specifics of the role fluid for the time being. The former Test match referee explained: “Day-to-day for me it is still a developing science.
“The first brief is something that we started last year before the World Cup campaign when I spent a bit of time with the team and the coaching staff asked me what we could fix, and I said we need to build respect around refereeing in this country and not just for this team. We need more referees, and we need people to serve the game.
“We have to create a different environment so that is the first part of the brief. The second part is that these fellas [coaches] have to coach within the key areas, accurately so my job is not to judge the refereeing performance, my job is to make sure that these fellas coach within the key focus. Then those fellas [players] play and execute within those areas.”
For tomorrow’s first Test at Loftus Versfeld South and Africa have agreed to trial a new television match official (TMO) protocol. Peyper explained: “We all recognise we have to do something, so we have to have data and trials, be innovative. Maybe after this series we’ll say, ‘that’s not the way’, but we’ve tested it and Ireland was willing to let us innovate.
“The protocol takes you back to the last attacking possession excluding set-piece stuff. In the past it was only two phases. Now it gives the TMO a chance in real-time to look at something.
“So, if there’s a clear knock-on, a clear foot in touch, you don’t have to let it play out until it’s a try, and then go for a big referral based on facts, the [TMO] has to have factual proof so [he] can just stop the officials and go back. Hopefully, that’ll speed up the process.”
Peyper pointed to the single biggest change though being the so-called Dupont Law. Hopefully, it will create a lot more space if the kicking game is not accurate and you don’t have players working back to stay onside. You can’t be put onside by something the opposition does like a pass or run 5m.”
The final question drew peals of laughter when Peyper was asked whether Ireland were a difficult team to referee, given an occasionally fraught relationship with former Ireland captain Johnny Sexton.
He smiled: “No, I refereed Ireland for 12-15 years and it was a very successful period for them. They were very effective over that time, with a guy like Joe Schmidt they were particular and accurate. So, like any good team when they’re on song it’s a pleasure and when they get frustrated there’ll be some exchanges. But don’t confuse the minute with the hour, it’s been good with Ireland.”
