Australian Angus Gardner will again take the whistle when the Springboks meet England at Twickenham on November 26.
Bok fans will recall Gardner as the man in the middle in the team’s defeat to England at the same venue in 2018, in a match that came to a controversial climax.
That Test, the Springboks' first on their end-of-year tour will be remembered for the no-arms tackle England’s Owen Farrell delivered late in the game on Bok replacement centre André Esterhuizen. Gardner failed to apply the appropriate sanction and England held on for a 12-11 win. He later admitted to his folly.
Gardner took charge of the Springboks’ Test against the All Blacks in Mbombela which the hosts won earlier this year and he held the whistle in the 13-12 defeat to Wales in Bloemfontein.
Another referee who officiated in that series, Georgia’s Nika Amashukeli, will take charge of the Boks’ opening Test on the end-of-year tour against Ireland on November 5.
England’s Wayne Barnes has been earmarked for the crunch Test against France in Marseilles a week later, while Scotland’s Mike Adamson will be in charge of their clash against Italy in Genoa seven days later.
The Test in Marseilles will mark a special occasion for Barnes as it will be his 101st as referee, a new record for match officials.
Karl Dickson of England will referee the SA ‘A’ midweek match against Munster in Cork on November 10, and a week later, Adam Jones of Wales will blow the whistle in the clash against the Bristol Bears in Bristol.
Meanwhile SA’s top ref Jaco Peyper, who like Barnes was given a break during the Rugby Championship, has been appointed to two Tests in the November international window.
Peyper will be the man in the middle when France host Australia in Paris on November 5, and the Test involving Ireland and Fiji in Dublin a week later.
AJ Jacobs has been given assistant referee duties in four Tests over two weekends in Dubai, when Hong Kong, Kenya, USA and Portugal square off in the final qualification tournament for Rugby World Cup 2023.
Marius Jonker and Marius van der Westhuizen have been appointed as television match officials in five Tests next month.