Durban based
Craig is a South African professional rugby union referee. He has officiated at international level since 2003 with the 2011 Rugby World Cup Final being his highest profile match. He attended Maritzburg College and then the University of Natal we he gained a B.Comm Honours in Business Finance. He then went into corporate banking, a profession in which he spent five years before taking up refereeing on a full-time basis in 2006.
Joubert is a member of the Maritzburg sub-society of the Natal Rugby Referees society. He officiated his first IRB Test Match, Wales vs United States in Connecticut in June 2005. In 2010, he was in charge of the Super 14 final between the Bulls and the Stormers. In the 2011 Rugby World Cup Joubert took charge of several games including the semi-final between Australia and New Zealand and the final between New Zealand and France.
A former Chairman of Toastmasters, Craig addresses corporate audiences, using anecdotes and unpublicised behind the scenes goings on, to share his insights into the build up and post mortems of big Test matches and the Currie Cup, Super 14 and Rugby World Cup Finals.
His honesty and humour bring audiences a unique take on what it's like to officiating on the world stage in front of global TV audiences.
He uses hand-picked video clips to illustrate the hot topics and controversial elements that make rugby so universally popular.
How does preparation for a World Cup Final relate to running a business ? How does the way you approach different Captains equate to the varied personalities you deal with on a daily basis ?
Craig's background in Corporate banking and on the field shapes his presentations in which he shares his take on dealing with often split-second decision-making moments in his refereeing career, such as: dealing with pressure, coping with criticism, managing expectations and disappointments, self assessment and improvement.
Career highlights: As at 06 November, 2011, Craig Joubert has refereed 194 x 1st Class games of which 63 have been in the Currie Cup (including Semi Finals in 2007 and 2008 and the Final in 2010) ; 50 have been in the Super 12/14 (including Super 14 Final 2010 and the Super Rugby Semi Final in 2011) ; 32 Tests