Former Springbok Rudy Page was the match referee and made his debut in Saturday's match between UCT Ikey Tigers and Boland in Cape Town.
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The 34-year-old's first assignment in his new job was as one of the touchline assistants and the high-profile referee for the Tigers vs. Boland pre-season friendly at Cape Town's picturesque Green Mile playing field. AJ Jacobs officiated. As the man in charge of conflicts in the center.
Page won 13 Springbok test caps between 2015 and 2017, scoring one international try during that time.
At the franchise level, Page played for the Lions, Bulls, Cheetahs and French club Clermont Auvergne. He also played in the Varsity Cup for the University of Johannesburg (UJ).
By becoming a referee, the Springbok scrum-half will follow in the footsteps of former Bok women's back Amy Barrett-Theron and former Stormers winger Egon Seconds, who became referees after retiring.
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Springbok to become match referee
Testing facilities in South Africa (updated):
Castle lager new series:
Saturday 6th July: Springboks vs Ireland (Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria)
Saturday 13 July: SA v Ireland (Hollywoodbets Kings Park, Durban)
Saturday, July 20: SA vs. Portugal (Bloemfontein, Toyota Stadium)
Castle Lager Rugby Championship:
Saturday 10th August: Australia vs SA (Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane)
Saturday 17 August: Australia vs Springboks (Optus Stadium, Perth)
Saturday 31 August: SA vs New Zealand (Emirates Airline Park, Johannesburg)
Saturday 7th September: Springboks v New Zealand (Cape Town, DHL Stadium)
Saturday, September 21: Argentina vs. SA (venue to be determined)
Saturday, September 28: Springboks vs Argentina (Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit)
