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Gibson Sheat Partner appointed as IRB Judicial Officer
Peter Hobbs, one of the partners here at Gibson Sheat, recently returned from two weeks in South Africa. Peter was appointed by the IRB to act as a Judicial Officer for the first five games of the British and Irish Lions Tour of South Africa.
A Judicial Officer's role is to conduct a hearing if a player is cited by the Citing Commissioner for an act of illegal or foul play during a match or having received a red card by the referee. The hearing determines whether or not any allegation of illegal foul play has been established and what, if any, penalty should be handed down to the player in question. Somewhat unexpectedly there were no citings or red cards in any of the matches Peter was responsible for. "A Lions Tour of South Africa is a highly anticipated event that only comes around once every 12 years. It creates a great deal of interest and passion. The games I was involved with were, however, all played in a very good spirit, with no illegal or foul play needing my attention."
With no hearings to consider, Peter was left to experience and enjoy much of what South Africa has to offer. "South Africa is a fascinating place and a land of great contrast. It was a great privilege to be part of such a unique and exciting Rugby Tour, albeit in a very minor way."
Peter has two further international assignments this year; one in Samoa and a second in Perth for a Tri Nations Test between South Africa and Australia.
