With two World Cup finals under his belt, André Watson bowed out of rugby refereeing in 2004 as the most decorated match official in history.

South African rugby's referees manager has now decided to tell his story in his autobiography and had his audience enthralled at a Cape Times sports breakfast during a roadshow to promote the book.

We bring you some of the highlights of the questions from the floor, while Watson generously granted us some time afterwards.

What drives someone to become a referee?

'I made the call to walk away while I was at the top'

Today youngsters start refereeing at 13, 14 because they see a career in it. For me the best thing about it was the adrenaline rush... refereeing in front of 110 000 people in Sydney, knowing that 37 million people are watching on TV and every mistake you make will be spoken about, yet you still do it with confidence. It's a tremendous kick to operate under that kind of pressure and get it right more often than not.


Many people believe you quit too early. There were certainly many more top games left in you.

My plan was to go until the 2007 World Cup, but the motivational fire... the one that gets you up at 5am and makes you swallow the criticism ... stopped burning. I made the call to walk away while I was at the top. Anything I would have achieved had I continued would have been the same as what I had done before.


You've ruled two significant forward passes in Currie Cup finals. Tell us about them.

'You must be f***ing joking'

The first was at Newlands in 1997, with Western Province leading Free State 14-12. Free State turned the ball over and Helgard Muller's pass to Jan-Harm van Wyk that would have given them the try to clinch the game was forward. Afterwards (WP coach) Harry Viljoen said to me 'thank you very much'. Province were going on a skiing trip and Harry asked me what size shoes I wore for my skis! The next year it went against WP at Loftus. The media up north had no issues. When I came down to the Cape I saw a picture of myself on a lamppost saying I had cost Western Province the cup!


Is there an intense competitive spirit among referees at the highest level?

There is jealousy, just like there is among ordinary people. At the 1999 World Cup, Freek Burger's goal for the South African referees was simply to get experience and prove to the world that we belonged at that level. There were legends like Derek Bevan, Jim Fleming, Dave McHugh and Ed Morrison. There I was... the boytjie from Benoni. I fell off my chair when they gave me the final. One bloke said "you must be f***ing joking". Paddy O'Brien got up and told him to shut up. Peter Marshall congratulated me and (later) brought me a card and champagne. Someone went and asked Jim Fleming, who was standing five metres away, whether he would be the referee in the final. He had refereed very well during the tournament. He said, "No I'm not. Watson is. It's not important who gets the final, but who did the most games. I did the most games".

John Eales reportedly threatened to lead his team off the field during the 1999 final in Cardiff. What happened and what does a referee do under those circumstances?

There was an eye-gouging incident. John showed me what had happened to David Wilson. I spoke to (French captain) Raphael Ibanez. It happened a second and third time and John said: "André, my boys are hurting. Sport is not worth an eye injury. If this continues I'll take my team off." Ibanez said: "André, these Australians, they're pissies man!"


For the sake of transparency, should the assessment reports of referees not be public knowledge?

There is a perception that the reports are kept secret. I will reveal them tomorrow if, for example, Heyneke Meyer comes out and says what he told Johan Roets for dropping the ball or Anton Leonard not opting to kick at posts from penalties. When your superior appraises you, it's something that is kept confidential.


What are the qualities of a good referee?

There are obvious physical factors, but in your heart you must have integrity and the ability to be objective at all times. If you don't have that ability you can acquire it because there are programmes that you are put through. I never hesitated to apologise straight away to the players on the field if I realised I made a mistake and then you can see that they accept it. We should shy away from making referees scapegoats, but referees should not shy away from making sure that they see things because the world expects them to.


Who is the best referee in South Africa?

I don't want to step on any toes... Jonathan Kaplan on experience and performance. But there is a guy coming through - Craig Joubert. He is phenomenal. He has all the attributes. If he puts it all together he will become a legend. He's tall, athletic, fast, fit and has a fantastic demeanour. He also has a very good rapport with the players. He's cordial and respectful. You get the feeling that he's in control.


Critics often said that you were like a headmaster on the field. Did that ever reach your ears?

The first guy to tell me that was Mac (Ian McIntosh). I always find it funny. I was the naughtiest guy at school and bunked the most classes! I have never been a teacher, nor was I in the permanent force of the army. Being a headmaster is everything I did not stand for.


What is the worst mistake you ever made?

Fortunately I can't think of one critical incident. I think my worst call was sending Balie Swart off after he waved that red card at me. I could have handled it a lot better to the benefit of Balie, myself and the rugby fraternity. With more experience I would still have nailed him, but would have handled it differently.


Give us the details of what exactly happened there?

The Lions and Griquas players were going at one another and Balie was using the worst kind of French! I said to him "you don't say f**k on TV" and then my words went over the air. I called (Lions captain) André Vos over to talk to him, then Balie came around and said "f**k-off" and waved the card. That's where I lost my sense of humour! We're big mates today. He's a fantastic guy. He was just an arsehole on the day!


Was it premeditated? Where did he get that card?

He claimed that he picked it up. It was spontaneous.


There's a lot of talk about player burnout. What about referees burnout? Does the travel get to you?

That was also a factor in my decision to retire. A busy referee is out of the country for 150 days in the year and another 50 days out of town. It's hard to be a family man under those circumstances. You are often overseas and are longing to be at home in your culture and where people speak with your accent... all those things that you take for granted. I was in a hotel in Canberra once and they were mowing the lawn. I said to myself "I'd like to do that at home now". It sounds bonkers, but I longed for it ... to do it bare foot so it would take me a while to wash all the green off my feet.


What was your most memorable game as a referee?

The one between Australia and New Zealand at Stadium Australia in 2000. There were 109 872 spectators and New Zealand led 24-0 after 10 minutes. By halftime it was 24-all. Jeremy Paul scored with two minutes left to give Australia a 35-34 lead, but Jonah Lomu scored at the end and New Zealand won 39-34. Afterwards they called it "The Game Played in Heaven". What made it so special was that there were only 54 stoppages in the game. On average, there are 90 stoppages in a Test. You try to keep it as low as possible by applying the advantage law. Credit to the players for that game. The skill level was high.


If you could change any law in the game, what would it be?

I would allow hands in the ruck because too many penalties are awarded there. If we allow hands in the ruck we'll have a faster game with about six penalties less in every game.


Who is the best referee in the world?

No-one can ever claim to be the best because they are never measured on a level playing field. I'd say it's a toss-up between Jonathan and Chris White of England.


What makes them special?

Both are players' referees. I know that the players are comfortable with them. It amazes me that after the Currie Cup final (when there was criticism of Kaplan) no-one asked the players what they thought. The answer would have been that he did well. No referee could have come out of that game looking like a hero and I think he did. He was criticised for a call in the match between England and Ireland that he got 100 percent right and I came out and said so. At the same time, I criticised him for certain incidents in the match between the Blue Bulls and WP (at Loftus this year). If we want to say that we work with integrity we have to acknowledge that we also get it wrong sometimes.


Did you ever cheat or were you ever offered a bribe?

I cheated once... on the seventh fairway! You can't cheat in rugby because the spotlight is very much on the referee. What happens is that we make mistakes - both brilliant players and referees. We need to start living with it and stop bitching. In any case, you can give a penalty count of 20-1 in Western Province's favour and they still won't win!

• This article was originally published on page 14 of Cape Times on November 04, 2005