Hanlie chat with Craig Joubert
2011-10-22 13:50
You run your phone from the tunnel, Eden Park's indescribable atmosphere, with 170 million people's eyes on you, and everything - your life, your career, your goals - pulled together in this one moment.
What's going on in your head?
"The adrenaline pumping, but you show it. You move it away, "said Craig Joubert when I had last week in New Zealand.
It's like Craig's, saying the former tets ref Tappe Henning later. "As I know Craig, he that incredible pressure of a World Cup final parking elsewhere and just focus on the two teams ahead of him. Cool, calm and impartial. "
You can hear the pride in his voice lugs. He is Craig's mentor for years.
"Our two story is really wonderful. His father, the late Des was a senior referee when I was a junior, and he always looked after me when I breathe in Durban, from 1989, with SAP rugby week in Pietermaritzburg. Craig was the ball boy, and his father took me under his wing.
"And as it works now but when I finished as blower, when Craig's at the beginning of his career, and took him under my wing. And can you believe my son is now sixteen, and now Craig to help him again. "
Three generations of mentoring, they share.
"There's so many similarities. I was eighteen when my father died, Craig was seventeen his father died. Craig and I know: you blow in one way only a game, wherever you are, you blow so your father can be proud of you, wherever He is ... "
At 33, Craig Joubert the youngest ever referee a World Cup final. He handled the whistle however, eighteen years of his Maritzburg College days. He through the hard school came, long in the shadow of the blast Jonathan Kaplans, the Mark Lawrences long been number four on the SA-ranking, long waited for this breakthrough.
Speaking a few minutes with him, and you understand why writers like Peter Bills Briton gets going on Joubert. He's a fresh breeze in the sometimes-stuffy corridors of international referees, Bills said, he leads a new era of accessible, media-friendly refereeing.
In a World full of controversial rulings, the Bryce Lawrence debacle the low welcomed sports writers worldwide "humble", "impartial", "immaculate" Joubert.
The corporate banker before his contract with SA Rugby at Standard Bank has worked to disturb him, however little to praise, to get back soon.
"I live for rugby," he said, instead of four words all his cards on the table. "There's nothing better for me than to be a good game off the field and walk to this: I could contribute to this. It's a privilege. A million people would just like to be where I am, in the heat of battle.
"I have thoroughly enjoyed banking. But now I earn my bread with my hobby. "
Maybe there is still something of a banker who, with Craig Joubert out onto the field - the man in the background, but still firmly in control.
He also took no nonsense.
When Bulls captain Victor Matfield in a Super 14 match a list of demands Joubert, he silenced with: "It's my call, Victor. Cheers. "For Fourie du Preez, once:" Do your frustrations out on me not. "
His wife Charmaine and their two year old son Max get together in New Zealand, and Craig said they've helped to make him relax in the buildup to the big final.
"I get a little tense, but never fear, so the butterflies was previously gave me a good sign. Fortunately I sleep very well. Your preparation is long finished, so the last thing a guy wants to do is to match all day thinking. "
The first kick-off at nine o'clock that evening, is a long Sunday for him. "I hope for a nice, normal Family Day. Here's parks near the hotel where Max can run around and swing. We also read stories to him, oh, it's just fun. "
He plans to use some sleep, something light for breakfast and a late lunch at about four o'clock - "maybe pasta or a sandwich, and energy bars in between, does not really matter." More importantly, says Craig, is all day by adequate water and Powerade drink.
"It's important to stay focused on the game, but you must not think about all day, because it's your head at kickoff worthless."
Little Max was up into the semi-final last weekend, he says. "He loved the train ride there and along the field always excited to show his mother that his father running around and that cool whistle blow!"
After lunch, Craig will ensure that the dark gray suit which he will attend Eden Park, pressed and packed ref clothes. "I have six apartments - orange jerseys this time, contrasting with the All Blacks and France.
Orange is not my favorite color, "you hear again the banker talk.
By five o'clock the physiotherapist will let him do stretching exercises and massage muscles. "Then the time becomes less and build up the atmosphere. That's the exciting part of the day. "
Half Seven leave their Eden Park, where Craig and his checklist begins: the inspection of the players' clothes and boots, the conversation with the fatties where he include the rate at which his scrumming calss get finalize - that Crouch, touch, pause Engage.
"As the players warm up and I then ran around a bit and loosen joints. Twenty minutes before kick off I'm back in the locker room where the microphones for communication with the ass refs and TV umpire fitted and tested.
"Then came the call, and you're almost over ready, all week waiting for this moment."
Actually all his life.
His school dream of a World Cup Final in a Springbok jersey. He played fullback and flyhalf, even had provincial colors Naas Botha was his "first real hero, I wanted so much to play like him."
But eventually he realized that shattering of so many school children faced: that he is good but not good enough. That Craig Joubert will never wear a Bok jersey.
It's father Des who was a light in the young Craig let it go on if you cant play internationally, you always can ref internationally.
"All I wanted to do was as close as possible to be rugby. As a referee I am, and will also put my career much more than keep a player's. "
For Craig, it was a "special moment" when he was appointed as referee in the final match between New Zealand and France.
"Like any other South African I hope I will be the Boks in the final playing, but it was not intended. Now I'm the only South African in the final, "he said, and then add back to him much earlier in his Springbok jersey and scarf in the bleachers would sit with the team that run out ...
He wants him, diplomatically, not comment on the controversy surrounding the refereeing in the World Cup.
He would not say who's the toughest Dietary culprits he had in the scrums had to deal with. Just "we Balie Swart referees helped to know exactly what's going on in the front row, an extremely difficult area for a referee. I am very grateful for that. "
His decisions may haunt him if he evening after a game go to bed, Craig admits.
"We go through a self-evaluation process to a game, and it helps us from our mistakes to learn. And that's where you make it. You move on, because next week is for. It does not help you stay on your breed mistakes. "
On the field he block everything out. During tough decisions disturb him at all to the audience's reaction, said Craig.
"At this level you must have the courage to make the right decision, no matter what anyone says."
His worst moment blower was an error in a 2008 Tri Nations match between the Wallabies and All Blacks where he was not a penalty try for the All Blacks awarded when the All Blacks winger Sitiveni Sivivatu without the ball is tackled, not .
"I tackle those not seen. When they show it again and again on the big screen. It made me angry upset. But you can just blow what you see. And you must also accept, but you're human and make mistakes. "
This blunder is just one of those few who blower in his career happened, said a senior rugby writer.
"Like the All Blacks coach Graham Henry said Joubert, the last three or four years one of the top referees in the world, and the players love being with him playing."
Monday, after a closure function of the World, to Craig and his family to an island close to Auckland for a quiet time away from everything just to breath again.
And then the calm guy back in the middle, whistle around the neck, yellow and red cards in the pocket, on rugby fields across the world. Long periods away from home matches almost every weekend.
But for Craig Joubert is not simply work. It's his life. His passion. His world is indeed a ovaalbal.
