SA Rugby’s national laws advisor Jaco Peyper says referee Ben O’Keeffe in will not be overawed by the occasion in Saturday’s Rugby Championship finale between the Springboks and Argentina.
The Rugby Championship is still in the balance going into the final match, with Argentina needing a bonus-point - without the South Africa getting a losing bonus point - to win the title. The Springboks, on the other hand, just need a point to win their first title since 2019.
O’Keeffe refereed the Springboks three times at the Rugby World Cup last year, once in their defeat during the pool stages against Ireland and again in the one-point quarter-final and semi-final victories against France and England respectively.
O’Keeffe copped a lot of flack from the French players and media after the Boks’ quarter-final win, although most neutrals suggest that he did a top job in the high-pressure match.
🇿![CDATA[]]>🇦 Siya Kolisi and Jacques Nienaber on Ben O'Keefe's performance after Antoine Dupont's criticism.#FRAvRSA #RWC2023 pic.twitter.com/fl9YMAc652
— Jared Wright (@jaredwright17) October 16, 2023
O’Keeffe also correctly awarded the Springboks a scrum penalty against England, which was also seen as spot-on at the time. This allowed flyhalf Handre Pollard to slot the winning penalty.
There are some fans outside South Africa that thinks O’Keeffe may be biased towards the Boks after those two World Cup playoff matches. However, former international ref Peyper disagrees with that assessment.
“If you have the privilege like me who lived with Ben in an environment for 10 or 12 years, you know he’s a medical doctor and he’s a very smart man,” said Peyper.
“He is so balanced, such a good individual but as a referee, and I know from experience, that if you listen to those outside voices and if you look at this match as anything different than trying to do the best for this match and deal with what’s in front of you that’s when it gets messy.
“He won’t think of any of those things, he’s too experienced, and Ben will just try do a good job and service this game.”
Tickets for the match have been sold out weeks ago and there will be heightened expectations with the Rugby Championship on the line.
However, Peyper says O’Keeffe’s experience of handling big knockout matches will be handy in the pressure-cooker environment at the Mbombela Stadium.
“It’s a playoff for any referee, this game decides the championship and Ben has done British and Irish Lions games that have decided the outcome of the series, he’s done World Cup quarter-finals and us against Ireland at the World Cup,” said Peyper.
“All those matches [at the World Cup] were within one or two points and Ben knows that,” he added.
“When it’s within one score, the team that loses, their fans are loaded and there would have been critics if South Africa lost against France with that one point – it would have just been a reverse so I think Ben is smart enough.”
@JohnGoliath82