Craig Joubert retires from refereeing 15s

Experienced Test referee Craig Joubert has announced his retirement from refereeing 15-a-side rugby to take up a role developing the next generation of elite match officials with World Rugby.
The 39-year-old described his new position as Referee Talent Development Coach for rugby's governing body as his “dream job”.
It will be the South African's role to identify and develop new men's and women's referees for the top level of both sevens and 15s.
The full-time position was globally advertised by World Rugby and will involve coaching and mentoring referees on the World Sevens Series circuit, this will enable Joubert to continue to officiate in the shortened version of the game.
Joubert has refereed Super Rugby finals in 2009, 2013 and 2014, the 2011 World Cup final, the second Test of the 2013 British and Irish Lions tour of Australia and was part of the refereeing team at the Rio Olympics Rugby Sevens competition.
With 69 Test matches under his belt, Joubtert will take up his new position immediately in the New Year.
“This was not a decision I took lightly given the obvious lure of possibly refereeing the British & Irish Lions in New Zealand next year as well as the Rugby World Cup in Japan in 2019,” said Joubert.
“However, the opportunity to make a difference in other peoples' careers and lives is something which I'm excited about. It really is a dream job. Over the past few years I have taken Rasta Rasivhenge under my wing and have mentored and coached him and it has been enormously rewarding to see him grow as a person and as a referee.
“This position gives me the opportunity to play a more formal role in sharing my experiences and developing referees and to have a positive influence on the lives and careers of other young referees.
“I am also thrilled that I will continue to referee on the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series as we build our team of referees towards the Tokyo Olympics in 2020. I love the Sevens environment and being a part of this very special team.”
World Rugby Match Officials Selection Committee Chairman Anthony Buchanan said: “I would like to thank Craig for his dedication and service throughout a wonderful refereeing career. He has been a world class referee for many years now and has officiated at the very highest levels of the game in both 15s and sevens.
“It has been a pleasure to work with him during his active refereeing career and I have no doubt he will continue to contribute to the game in his new position. I expect his vast experience and his extensive knowledge of the game to be a huge asset to us as we continue to develop the world's top match officials.”