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Jonathan Kaplan will make history when he becomes the first referee to officiate in 100 Super Rugby games when the Sharks go up against the Cheetahs tomorrow. Picture: Touchline Photo
JONATHAN Kaplan will become the first referee to handle 100 Super Rugby matches tomorrow when he runs out on to the Free State Stadium field for the Cheetahs-Sharks derby.
Kaplan holds several refereeing records, including most Test matches (68), most Super Rugby matches and most Currie Cup matches, and he has overseen well over 1 000 matches in a career spanning 30 years. But he has announced that he will retire at the end of this year. We caught up with him this week.
Who is Jonathan Kaplan and how would you describe yourself?
I’m a proud South African, born in Durban. I grew up with quite strong traditional Jewish roots, quite conservative, in a way. In respect of sports, my attraction was to the traditional sports – cricket, rugby, soccer, all ball sports.
Many people regard you as the best referee South Africa has produced. Why are you hanging up your whistle?
First of all, I don’t think there is such a thing as the best because you may think Muhammad Ali is the greatest, and I may think Marvin Hagler is the greatest. Or Joe Louis.
Kaplan will try to keep his emotions in check until his last match at the end of the season this year when he hangs up his whistle.
Touchline Photo
It doesn’t actually matter, because it is all generally era-specific, things change across eras.
As far as the public support (goes), that is extremely gratifying for me, as I have always refereed for the players, first and foremost.
My service to the game was with the laws in mind, but always to make sure that the players had a good day – to try my best in that respect.
I’m stopping now because the incentive of Test-match rugby has been taken away from me, and it has been tougher to keep my standards going.
The last World Cup was probably going to be the last one for me… I’m 46 now, and Rugby World Cup 2015 may always have been a bridge too far.
What do you think of the new scrum cadence? Why do some referees take an eternity between calls?
There are a lot of scrum doctors that I’ve spoken to who are in favour of this new three-sequence call. One of the reasons is that they felt that the other one forced players to stay in that braced position for too long, and there was too much uncertainty for the pack.
On the laws in general, rugby needs transformation, and by and large, the IRB does a good job in respect of trying to transform the game in a direction where it’s a better product for the public.
I always think you’ve got to bear in mind balance – you can’t just have razzle-dazzle. You need a little bit of an arm wrestle and a little bit of grit as well.
I wouldn’t like to see rugby becoming Flash Harry – just skip passes, sidestepping, etc. People enjoy a bit of mongrel, a bit of an arm-wrestle every now and again. Rugby must remain a game for all shapes and sizes.
Which players and coaches have been a pleasure to deal with as a referee?
In no particular order, I quite enjoyed the likes of a Nick Mallett, Wayne Smith, Todd Blackadder (as captain and coach), Harry Viljoen, Clive Woodward, Frank Hadden and Eddie O’Sullivan from Ireland. I had a tremendous rapport with Eddie.
Declan Kidney too, because I found him to be an absolute gentleman. I generally get on well with most of them, and I have definitely left out a few names. Players who manage to keep the balance of perspective impress me: Blackadder, huge respect for him. George Smith, Martin Johnson, massive presence on the field and a good guy for me when I was refereeing. Victor Matfield, and John Smit obviously, because we were involved for a long time together. Also a guy like Dewald Potgieter, on a lesser scale.
Matfield, when he lost the Currie Cup final – he won a lot with me, and then lost a few as well – he was the first guy to come and say, “You had a great game, thanks.” That kind of perspective means a lot to me, because what it shows is that it’s about more than just rugby. I would like to mention Keven Mealamu as well – despite the hurly-burly, what an absolute pleasure to referee, what an absolute gentleman. Wikus van Heerden, Dick Muir, Nathan Sharpe… the list is endless.
And the most difficult?
When I started out, the likes of Kobus Wiese and Helgard Muller were quite difficult for me. I didn’t mind that, as I understood the landscape – they were just doing what they could to ensure that their team won.
More recently, I had big respect for the likes of Johnson, Brian O’ Driscoll, George Gregan, Andrew Mehrtens, Justin Marshall. Even though they could be quite difficult, they were very switched on in terms of what was happening on the field, and they would push the envelope. All competitive winners!
What has been your proudest moment as a referee?
You go through stages. Initially, I was happy to referee at Currie Cup level. In 1996, I got my international blazer, which I was very proud of.
Then, in 2008, I became the most-capped Test referee (France v Argentina in Marseilles). When I got to my 50th Test, that was significant as I was the first to reach that mark. I refereed Scotland-Ireland in the Six Nations and both countries made quite a big production of it.
I was really humbled that they had acknowledged that. Saru also did something to mark the occasion. In Super Rugby, I had that unusual final with the fog. We had nearly a zero TV audience. But it wasn’t a problem for everyone on the field.
The Bulls-Chiefs final of 2009 where the Bulls were rampant. That was their peak performance, looking at the team that they had built. The Currie Cup finals for me were really special occasions. I did some special games, with the trilogy of the Bulls-Cheetahs in the mid-2000s. The 2005 one was a wild upset, with the Cheetahs winning it, and then the last final to be drawn in 2006.
Was there an incident that you would like to forget about on the field?
The one that I regret the most in my international career was the Ireland-Wales game in 2011 where I made a poor non-decision, and it resulted in a try. The game ended up being close, so there were obviously questions asked about it.
I’ve got no excuses, it was just a poor call. I realised that an error had been made, and I really had to concentrate to ensure that the rest of the fixture was fairly refereed. I’m a human being, and I’ve tried my best, but I do make mistakes.
What’s your favourite Test out of the 68?
I often talk about the 2000 New Zealand-Australia Test in Wellington where John Eales kicked the winning penalty deep into injury time. It was special because I was a relative newcomer in Test refereeing. That was a game between the two top powers at the time, and it carried a lot of status – it was for Bledisloe Cup, Tri-Nations and number-one team in the world. I had to make a decision, which wasn’t a difficult one, but it came at a difficult time in the match to make a decision that would have a direct bearing on the outcome. It was a really high-quality Test match!
Do referees get influenced by the home crowd?
I would like to think not. But that is what I meant when I spoke about “nerve”. Even at Super 15 level, there are some inexperienced referees who need to be given time to develop. Some of them will fall off the bus because they won’t have the requisite ability for that level.
The public is a little less forgiving with officials who don’t really get to grips with the game or that level or speed of the game, and their decision-making is slow or inaccurate. But I wouldn’t just say that the crowd is the only pressure – it’s one of the pressures.
The history of the fixture can be a pressure, dominant personalities on the field, your own psyche going into a game – whether you’re in a comfortable and happy space, or whether you’re troubled or have dramas off the field. Sometimes everything is going well, and there is a lapse in concentration.
You are a serious marathon runner?
I’ve done 50 marathons, including five Comrades and five Two Oceans. But I am really a bit of a plodder.
I was a pretty average sportsman at school. I played chess at school, and my school won the league four times in a row. When I was younger, I enjoyed a good game of tennis, but I wasn’t really that good at anything.
What do you do for fun, away from rugby?
I collect bonsais; I’ve got 40 so far. They can be quite difficult to maintain when I am overseas, because bonsais need a lot of attention.
I also love my dogs – I’ve got two beautiful bulldogs called Lola and Dexter. I own little shares in some racehorses, which is somewhat of an expensive hobby, but it’s something that I enjoy. I’m an exceptionally lucky owner, and I’m very lucky that my partners are quite influential people in the industry. So, I’m fortunate in that respect. I like braaiing, and I like all card games, especially Klaberjass and bridge.
Will there be a few tears for your 100th Super Rugby game tomorrow? Or are you not that kind of guy?
I am that kind of guy. I try to keep my emotions in control, because my work on the field is more clinical. But then again, it is important to maintain an emotional empathy with the game in order to fulfil my philosophy and my vision of how the game should be refereed.
I will be mindful of the milestone as I have worked really hard to get here, and to get into shape for the season. I don’t think people realise it, but I am the oldest referee in Super Rugby by five years. I am very proud.
What is also true, though, is that all records and milestones get broken – they are not there for you, they are there for the game. This game will always carry a special place in my heart, but equally important is the delivery of performance.
I would like to, not just in this game, but the whole season, deliver a performance where I can look back and be proud of my last season. That’s the most important.
