Sindile Ngcese made his mark as one of the top rugby referees on the national circuit, when South African Rugby Union (SARU) selected him to referee the final of the Absa Currie Cup U19 competition.
Sindile Ngcese made his mark as one of the top rugby referees on the national circuit, when South African Rugby Union (SARU) selected him to referee the final of the Absa Currie Cup U19 competition.
Ngcese is currently a National Panel B referee, with the next step being National Panel A and then the National Elite – where Ngcese dreams to be one day.
His referee career started in 2009, when he was part of the Eastern Province Rugby panel. He was part of the SARU Academy in 2014.
The academy has a dedicated manager who works with the referees from across the country. Ngcese was on the referee panel at the 2014 Academy Week, where SARU referee scouts kept an eye on Ngcese and other up and coming refs.
He was selected as part of the national panel for the 2015 season and has since been referee at a number of U19 and U21 Currie Cup matches, as well as assistant referee at various Currie Cup games.
Has also refereed at Craven Week as well as at the U18 International game between Wales and Italy. In August he was named the Saru referee of the month. Ngcese got the nod to be assistant referee at one of the U19 semi-final games and said at the time he was happy and surprised to be selected, and felt this was just reward from SARU.
When he then received an e-mail saying he would referee the U19 final, Ngcese said he had never expected this. “I was nervous and shaking the whole week,” he says. He said the only way he could “stop the adrenalin from pumping,” was to get out and exercise.
Asked about the difference between refereeing in front of a crowd as opposed to refereeing on television, Ngcese says, "It's a big adjustment. The one week you on TV and the next you are not”. Although he enjoys refereeing at a high level and being in the centre of some of the big, well-known stadiums in the country, Ngcese said he still misses refereeing the occasional schools 1st team game.
He may still get the chance, as long as he does not have a Saru commitment. His weekend began with a dinner with various members of Saru management – including Mark Lawrence, Stuart Berry and Deon van Blommestein. At the start of the match, Ngcese said he had “butterflies in my stomach” but, as the game continued, he focused on the match ahead.
Ngcese said he felt the match went well and received great feedback from the coaching staff as well as other referees, including an e-mail from Jaco Peyper who is currently one of the Rugby World Cup referees, congratulating him on his game. He will soon be completing his level 3 match official course, shortly before taking up the referee position at the Sevens IPL in Nelspruit.
He will then be assistant referee at the Rugby African Olympic qualifier and at the World Rugby Sevens in Cape Town. Ngcese, who plans to ref "at the top level” for the next ten years, said he is currently living his dream and paid tribute to all those who have helped him reach some of his goals.
“Thanks to my teachers, mentors, the coaches whom I came in contact with as a player, coach and referee, who contributed to where I am today".
As well as thanking his family and friends for their support, Ngcese thanked his former boss, Kevin Bates, and current boss, Jeff Budaza, “for giving me time off work for referee commitments”.
