Respect and Understanding: Jaco Peyper Joins Springboks as Referee AdvisorRespect and Understanding: Jaco Peyper Joins Springboks as Referee Advisor In a significant move to strengthen their relationship with the officiating community, the Springboks have appointed former Test referee Jaco Peyper as their full-time referee advisor. Peyper’s role extends beyond preparing the team for the upcoming Rugby World Cup, delving into the intricacies of the game and fostering mutual respect between players and referees. Player Interaction and Communication One key aspect of Peyper’s role is to empower players to effectively communicate with match officials. He holds individual sessions with players, especially the captain and vice-captain, to guide them in appropriate communication with assistant referees and referees. Peyper emphasizes the importance of maintaining respect and understanding, while still conveying the team’s perspective. Penalty Classification Peyper assists the Boks in identifying the root causes of penalties. By classifying penalties as either system errors or player errors, the team can develop targeted strategies to address each category. This approach helps players understand the specific areas they need to improve, avoiding unnecessary penalties in crucial moments. Referee Insight and Adaptation Beyond his primary responsibilities, Peyper serves as a valuable bridge between the Springboks and the officiating community. He shares insights into refereeing perspectives, helping players anticipate referee calls and adapt their play accordingly. Through post-match discussions, the Boks can engage in productive dialogue with referees, improving their understanding of the game and fostering a more harmonious environment. Creating Respect Peyper’s appointment underscores the Springboks’ commitment to rebuilding respect for referees. By fostering open communication, educating players, and establishing a positive rapport with match officials, the team aims to create a culture of respect that extends beyond the field.
The Springboks are looking to rebuild “respect” for referees, and former Test referee Jaco Peyper is a big part of that campaign.
Peyper has been helping the Springboks full-time since his retirement following last year’s Rugby World Cup and has been tasked with not only helping the Boks adapt to the law changes but ensuring they don’t run into long-term problems with refereeing trial matches.
Given the history of Rassie Erasmus and World Rugby following the British and Irish Lions tour, the Boks have done a lot to mend the fences that were broken during that time, but more can always be done.
And as many who follow Erasmus know, any small advantage the Boks can use to stay ahead of the chasers is a positive.
Peyper calls his role a bit of a “developmental science” role. It’s a bit different from referees who often help their national teams prepare for the international season.
That in itself is nothing new. As Peyper noted, Andrew Brace and Frank Murphy help Ireland regularly and Peyper has fulfilled that role in the past.
What is different this time around is that it is a full-time role that will undoubtedly have many facets, including live refereeing while the Boks are in training, a luxury not many teams around the world enjoy.
One hit with the Springboks and Jaco Peyper sticks to the rules of the game.
Press conference excerpt from @foreversports photo.twitter.com/mx0a8gd3Ks
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And as Erasmus indicated last week, there are subtle nuances to his role that will benefit the Boks in the long run.
ONE-ON-ONE WITH PLAYERS
Coaches often talk about ‘paintings’ to make the role of a referee easier, but Erasmus has Peyper do that, and much more.
“He does one-on-ones with the players, with the captain, which was Pieter-Steph du Toit (against Wales), and vice-captain Jesse Kriel, and then the wingers on how to talk to the assistant referees” , says Erasmus. described his role last week.
“I also want to emphasize how we need to communicate these kinds of things with referees. Since the World Cup, we have changed our thinking about how we approach the officials.
“Even though we may be right, that doesn’t mean you can be disrespectful to referees and their assistants. I think that helped a lot, and now that Peyper is here, we understand even better how much pressure a referee experiences.
“He told us recently that they make 950 decisions or non-decisions in a game, and that making 20 mistakes in a game is actually not that bad.”
Given this explanation, it is understandable that helping players find the right words in the emotional heat of battle can clarify rather than inflame situations for match officials.
And if a referee doesn’t feel like teams are hostile to him, it can subtly contribute to 50-50 decisions.
Former top referee Nigel Owens recently praised Peyper’s appointment in Sunday’s newspaper Reportin which he said it could only be positive for the Boks.
“The Springboks will benefit enormously from the appointment of Jaco,” Owens said.
“We all know his quality and experience as a referee and he will certainly be missed on the international stage, but his input into the Springbok camp to help them better understand the rules of the game and reduce the number of penalties will be valuable.
“We saw it in the quarter-finals, semi-finals and finals of the World Cup when the Boks won every game by one point. One penalty and it’s three points, and you’ve lost one of those games. It’s crucial, and Jaco will put that on the table.”
CLASSIFYING PUNISHMENTS
Peyper tried to explain his role Monday to those who would listen.
Springbok Laws advisor Jaco Peyper on joining the national team and his role.
WATCH the press conference with scrum half Grant Williams and assistant coach Tony Brownhttps://t.co/6qd5uGXDTa photo.twitter.com/e1NKVzOge3
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“It’s still a bit of a developing science. The first briefing was something we started last year, during the World Cup campaign I spent some time with the team and the coaching team asked me what they could fix,” Peyper explained.
“I said we need to create a theme of respect, not only in this country for this team, but also in the whole country. We need more referees to serve the game.
“We need to create that environment so more people can play the game. These fellows need to coach correctly within the parameters. So it’s not my job to judge the referee’s performance, it’s my job to make sure these guys coach within the main focus and those players go out and execute.
“After games there will be coordination, whether we adapt after games or whether the referees adapt. That is the most important thing day by day.”
Peyper would help the Boks classify the penalties they award into one of two categories – namely whether it is a system error, or a player error. Either way, the Boks can then know how to solve them.
“It’s quite clear what World Rugby wants, they set a guideline and then we have to adapt. We never play to avoid giving away penalties, we play to avoid giving away penalties. When you enter the match you go give punishments somewhere, so we classify them into one of two categories. It’s an evolving science and it’s a task that becomes more and more detailed as we progress, because it’s kind of the first of its kind,” Peyper added. .
“I think the coaches find it more and more important because as the game becomes faster and more dynamic, you need it more and more because you can’t arrange everything on Saturday.”
The road to helping the Boks was not exactly easy. After the World Cup, Peyper had to tell his wife Zenobia that his retirement did not mean the end of rugby.
“A few months ago I met up with my wife and we agreed that I was done with rugby and two weeks later we were in the same restaurant with another bottle of wine and I had to explain to her that I was playing rugby again. It was quite a turnaround but I think when rugby is in your blood it’s hard to stay away from it,” he laughed.
And as long as he stays, Bokrugby can only benefit from his knowledge.
