André Watson
Encyclopedia
André Jacobus Watson is a South African former rugby union
referee. He officiated a record number of finals in the Rugby World Cup
(two), the Currie Cup
(seven) and Super Rugby (five).
and attended school at Maria van Riebeeck Primary and Goudrif High School. He later attended Stellenbosch University
and the University of the Witwatersrand
before working as an engineer.
matches including seven cup finals which, as of 2010, is the most by a referee.
Watson refereed five Super Rugby finals which is, as of 2011, a record.
and Canada
.
Watson refereed the first of two Rugby World Cup
finals when he took charge of the 1999 Rugby World Cup Final
between Australia and France
in Cardiff.
His second World Cup final was the 2003 Rugby World Cup Final
between Australia and England
in Sydney. He remains the only referee to have officiated in two finals.
He announced his retirement prior to the July 2004 match between Australia and the Pacific Islanders
. He made a comeback three months later, refereeing the first match of the qualification round for 2007 Rugby World Cup
between Andorra and Norway.
.
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
referee. He officiated a record number of finals in the Rugby World Cup
Rugby World Cup
The Rugby World Cup is an international rugby union competition organised by the International Rugby Board and held every four years since 1987....
(two), the Currie Cup
Currie Cup
The Currie Cup tournament is South Africa's premier domestic rugby union competition, played each winter and spring , featuring teams representing either entire provinces or substantial regions within provinces...
(seven) and Super Rugby (five).
Biography
Watson was born in Germiston, TransvaalGauteng
Gauteng is one of the nine provinces of South Africa. It was formed from part of the old Transvaal Province after South Africa's first all-race elections on 27 April 1994...
and attended school at Maria van Riebeeck Primary and Goudrif High School. He later attended Stellenbosch University
Stellenbosch University
Stellenbosch University is a public research university situated in the town of Stellenbosch, South Africa. Other nearby universities are the University of Cape Town and University of the Western Cape....
and the University of the Witwatersrand
University of the Witwatersrand
The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg is a South African university situated in the northern areas of central Johannesburg. It is more commonly known as Wits University...
before working as an engineer.
Playing career
As a youth Watson played representative rugby for Transvaal Schools XV. While studying at university he played for Stellenbosch University and the University of the Witwatersrand.Provincial rugby
During his career he refereed 100 Currie CupCurrie Cup
The Currie Cup tournament is South Africa's premier domestic rugby union competition, played each winter and spring , featuring teams representing either entire provinces or substantial regions within provinces...
matches including seven cup finals which, as of 2010, is the most by a referee.
Watson refereed five Super Rugby finals which is, as of 2011, a record.
International rugby
He made his international debut in 1996 in a match between AustraliaAustralia national rugby union team
The Australian national rugby union team is the representative side of Australia in rugby union. The national team is nicknamed the Wallabies and competes annually with New Zealand and South Africa in the Tri-Nations Series, in which they also contest the Bledisloe Cup with New Zealand and the...
and Canada
Canada national rugby union team
The Canada national rugby union team represents Canada in international rugby union. They are governed by Rugby Canada, and play in red and black. Canada is classified by the International Rugby Board as a tier two rugby nation. There are ten tier one nations, and seven tier two nations, the...
.
Watson refereed the first of two Rugby World Cup
Rugby World Cup
The Rugby World Cup is an international rugby union competition organised by the International Rugby Board and held every four years since 1987....
finals when he took charge of the 1999 Rugby World Cup Final
1999 Rugby World Cup Final
The 1999 Rugby World Cup Final, was the final match in the 1999 Rugby World Cup, played in Wales.The match was played at Millennium Stadium, Cardiff on 6 November 1999 between and with 72,500 in attendance....
between Australia and France
France national rugby union team
The France national rugby union team represents France in rugby union. They compete annually against England, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales in the Six Nations Championship. They have won the championship outright sixteen times, shared it a further eight times, and have completed nine grand slams...
in Cardiff.
His second World Cup final was the 2003 Rugby World Cup Final
2003 Rugby World Cup Final
The 2003 Rugby World Cup Final was won by England who defeated Australia 20 to 17. The match went into extra time, in which Jonny Wilkinson kicked a drop goal to seal England's win.-Path to the final:...
between Australia and England
England national rugby union team
The England national rugby union team represents England in rugby union. They compete in the annual Six Nations Championship with France, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, and Wales. They have won this championship on 26 occasions, 12 times winning the Grand Slam, making them the most successful team in...
in Sydney. He remains the only referee to have officiated in two finals.
He announced his retirement prior to the July 2004 match between Australia and the Pacific Islanders
Pacific Islanders rugby union team
The Pacific Islanders rugby union team is an international rugby union team, started in 2004, that represents Fiji, Samoa and Tonga. While Niue and the Cook Islands are not members of the Pacific Tri-Nations competition, they did supply players to the squad for the Pacific Islanders' tour in 2004...
. He made a comeback three months later, refereeing the first match of the qualification round for 2007 Rugby World Cup
2007 Rugby World Cup
The 2007 Rugby World Cup was the sixth Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. Twenty nations competed for the Webb Ellis Cup in the tournament, which was hosted by France from 7 September to 20 October. France won the hosting rights in 2003,...
between Andorra and Norway.
Post-refereeing career
He is, as of 2011, the Manager of Referees for the South African Rugby UnionSouth African Rugby Union
The South African Rugby Union is the governing body for rugby union in South Africa and is affiliated to the International Rugby Board...
.