World Rugby sings Peyper’s praises: ‘One of the greats’
World Rugby has thanked Jaco Peyper for his services and heralded the referee as one of the greatest contributors to the game of rugby.
Beaumont, the World Rugby South chairman, only had good things to day about Peyper after the South African referee has announced his retirement on Friday.
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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 Vodacom United Rugby Championship, Super Rugby, Investec 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 Castle Lager Rugby Championship, as well as one Test between the All Blacks and the British & Irish Lions in 2017.
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WORLD RUGBY LAUDS FANTASTIC PEYPER
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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