Rasta Rasivhenge

Rasta Rasivhenge

Birth name	Fhatuwani Rasivhenge
Date of birth	(1986-01-03) January 3, 1986 (age 38)
Place of birth	Johannesburg, South Africa
Height	1.69 m (5 ft 6+1⁄2 in)
Weight	68 kg (10 st 10 lb)
School	Bishop Bavin Primary Jeppe High School for Boys
University	University of the Witwatersrand UNISA
Occupation(s)	Referee
Rugby union career
Position(s) Referee Refereeing career Years Competition Apps 2010–2014 Vodacom Cup 20 2011–2013 Varsity Cup 8 2011–2014 Currie Cup 20 2011–present IRB Sevens World Series 2014 2014 Commonwealth Games 2015–present Top 14 2016 2016 Summer Olympics 2016–present Super Rugby 2017–present Pro14

Fhatuwani 'Rasta' Rasivhenge (born in Johannesburg on 3 January 1986) is a South African rugby union referee who is a member of the South African Rugby Union (SARU) Premier Panel.^[1] He was appointed to referee the final of the rugby sevens tournament at the 2016 Summer Olympics.

Career

Rasivhenge has been a regular referee on the IRB Sevens World Series circuit since the 2011–12 season^[2] and also refereed in South African domestic rugby union competitions, the Currie Cup, Vodacom Cup and Varsity Cup since 2010.

Rasivhenge was also a rugby sevens referee during the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland.

In 2014, Rasivhenge took a sabbatical from the South African Rugby Union and was recruited by the Australian Rugby Union; he subsequently appeared as an Australian referee in the IRB Sevens World Series.^[3][4]

He returned to South Africa prior to the 2015 Currie Cup Premier Division and signed a contract with SARU until 2019.^[5] He refereed eight matches in the 2015 Currie Cup Premier Division and was awarded the final between the Golden Lions and Western Province, in the process becoming the youngest referee ever to do so.^[6]

He was also appointed to referee two matches in the French professional leagues in 2015–16 – a Pro D2 match between Béziers and Biarritz and a Top 14 match between Toulouse and Grenoble.^[7]

In 2016, Rasivhenge was added to the referees' roster for the 2016 Super Rugby season for the first time.^[8]

Rasivhenge was also selected as a referee for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. At the games, he was appointed to referee the final of the games between England and Fiji, won by the Fijians 41-7.

References

1. "SA Rugby Player Profile – Rasta Rasivhenge". South African Rugby Union. Retrieved 2 June 2016.
2. "In-touch with South African Referees" (PDF). www.sareferees.co.za. 15 July 2011. p. 12. Retrieved 13 October 2014.
3. "Series Round 1, Australia, Final Cup - 12/10/2014 17:49PM". International Rugby Board. 12 October 2014. Archived from the original on 19 October 2014. Retrieved 13 October 2014.
4. "'Rasta' Rasivhenge here to share". Fiji Sun. 10 November 2014. Archived from the original on 6 December 2014. Retrieved 11 January 2015.
5. "Three leading referees renew contracts with SARU". Rugby15. 6 August 2015. Retrieved 6 August 2015.
6. "SA Rugby Match Centre – Xerox Golden Lions 32–24 DHL Western Province". South African Rugby Union. 24 October 2015. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
7. "Rasta goes to Paris". SA Rugby Referees. 26 October 2015. Retrieved 27 October 2015.
8. "Refs and law variations revealed" (Press release). SANZAR. 2 February 2016. Archived from the original on 3 February 2016. Retrieved 2 February 2016.