Kaplan blowing the whistle on life abroad

Jonathan Kaplan, the much-loved former rugby referee, is “exploring the idea of returning to South Africa as soon as possible”. Kaplan was unable to be specific about the details of his likely return, but when he finally comes home it will be with his three children, Kaleb, 10, and twin seven-year-old daughters, Jamyma and Jozafeen. He’s spent the past seven years in Toronto. 

Without getting into the nuts and bolts, Kaplan intimated that one of the reasons for his return is his feeling for home and the sense of community it brings. Living in Canada has been an enriching experience, but nothing quite beats hearing someone vloek (swear) in Afrikaans or the splendour of an African sunset made richer by the cry of a nearby fish eagle. 

As befits a man who seems to have been born with a whistle between his lips, Kaplan continues to blow rugby matches at first XV club, university, and school levels. “In addition, I get the odd invite to tournaments if and when I can get away. It’s my 43rd season as a rugby referee,” he says proudly. 

As well as keeping up with play on the field itself, Kaplan keeps fit by running, having recently completed his 179th marathon. He started as a marathoner in Benoni on Joburg’s East Rand in 1986 and recently completed running a marathon in each of the 50 states of America with one in Charlevoix, Michigan in June. 

So important have marathons – and travel – become to him that he’s toying with the idea of putting all he’s experienced as a runner down in a book. “The book would be a travelogue of marathon running,” he says. “It would tell the story of all the places I’ve run in and all the things that I’ve learned.” 

For all of Kaplan’s desire to get out and see the country in which he lives, and its neighbour, you also sense that he’s itching to contribute to the game he loves by doing more than simply awarding scrum penalties. He thinks rugby is in desperate need of an on-field ambassador, for instance, and is off to officiate the Bermuda Classic in the Caribbean shortly, his first tournament as a 60-year-old. Unsurprisingly for a man who refereed 13 matches across four World Cups – 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011 – rugby remains in his blood. His love of the game is tangible; his eye remains as keen as ever. 

“It was always my intention to contribute to the transfer of information before I left,” he says. “In respect of experience and culture. If there isn’t a linear transfer of culture, it dissipates. It’s very noticeable that in the past 15 years we haven’t produced any international-standard referees bar, say, Craig Joubert and Jaco Peyper. Our rugby is incredibly strong but we just aren’t producing referees of international quality. We’re producing referees, yes, but that’s different. Something important has been lost.” 

As a rugby referee, Kaplan was part of a dynamic cohort. “It was an era in which we stepped forward and shone on the international stage.” To be more specific, it was the age of Karl Spannenberg, Mark Lawrence, Tappe Henning, and André Watson, all of whom were overseen by boss Freek Burger. Some of them might have had eccentric flourishes, and some were, at times, derided by the public and in the press, but the times were vital and energetic. These were undoubtedly South African refereeing’s halcyon days. 

“We learned the ropes in a tournament like the Currie Cup, which is brutal but stunning – I still believe there’s a place for it,” he says. “It was a difficult period in my development, particularly with some of the established senior players who were always pushing the envelope. [Former Springbok lock turned media pundit] Kobus Wiese wasn’t occasionally shy to do a bit of ‘mountaineering’ over opposition players on the ground and he always used to give me a rough time. [Former Free State and Bok centre] Helgard Muller was pretty combustible, although we made up afterwards. As I went through the system, I slowly developed relationships with everyone. That ultimately held me in good stead.” 

Still, he’s concerned about the little things. He doesn’t like the way, for instance, that some of the opportunities for referees and coaches to formally get together pre-match have been closed by Joël Jutge, World Rugby’s High-Performance Match Official Manager. He understands why this is so – Jutge is protecting his employees, the referees – but argues that engagement has its advantages. “It’s a great opportunity to learn,” he says. “In order to learn, you need to show some humility. For a referee that can never be a bad thing. 

“Let’s be clear, World Rugby has got many things right over the past few years: it’s refined the laws, made the game a better spectacle, and tightened the specific laws around player safety, to name just three areas of improvement. Having said this, there are gains to be made in a pre-match context by bringing referees and coaches together. It gives both sides an opportunity to express themselves and their concerns. Both sides can only be better off for it.”