Lyndon Bray, SANZAR Game Manager, said the appointments were made after a full season analysis of each official, which in turn saw referees rewarded with strong performances.

"We are delighted to announce that Jaco and Jonathan will referee the first matches in this season's Super Rugby Finals Series," he said.

Bray said that the final appointments consider three criteria - the overall performance, accuracy of the big calls and the 'right fit for the game'.

"Referees were reviewed against their overall performance, which takes into consideration their consistency over the whole competition, and form at this latter stage of the competition," he added.

Super Rugby Qualifiers

Saturday 21 July, 2012

Crusaders v Bulls at AMI Stadium, Christchurch

Referee: Jaco Peyper (South Africa) Assistant Referees: Keith Brown, Glen Jackson TMO: Garratt Williamson

Saturday 21 July, 2012

Reds v Sharks at Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane Referee: Jonathan Kaplan (South Africa) Assistant Referees: Craig Joubert, James Leckie TMO: Matt Goddard