12 March
Kaplan reaches 50 Test milestone
Test referee Jonathan Kaplan will make South African history this weekend when he referees his 50th Test match.
Kaplan will celebrate his half century when he takes charge of the Six Nations clash between Scotland and Ireland at Murrayfield in Edinburgh on Saturday.
Kaplan, who made his Test refereeing debut in 1996, became the most-capped international referee at 47 tests in November last year when he blew the clash between France and Argentina in Marseilles.
SA Rugby’s Manager of Referees, Andre Watson, paid tribute to Kaplan, describing the achievement as “truly remarkable”.
“This is equal to a player playing 100 tests for his country,” said Watson.
“Players play on average 12 test matches a year whereas referees get on average 4, maybe 5 appointments a year. This indicates how long Jonathan has been around on the world scene.
“I cannot think of a nicer and more humble guy to achieve this remarkable feat. He has always shown the potential to become a ‘great’ and he has achieved this status while he is still active, which makes him a living legend in my view. I trust the rugby world will join me in raising a glass to salute Jonny,” he said.
Watson added that Kaplan was a role model for young referees and those wanting to take up refereeing.
“He is an example to young referees not only for achieving the magical number 50, but the way he performs weekend in and weekend out.
“Jonathan started out whilst still at school and his desire to get better and better eventually took him to the top of the sport. SA Rugby is presently busy with a recruitment campaign and we are looking for the Jonathan Kaplan’s of the future to ensure that South Africa continues to produce world class match officials,” Watson said.
