Kaplan relieved of duties

SOUTH AFRICAN referee Jonathan Kaplan has been relieved of his August test duties to allow him time to recover for the Rugby World Cup after being injured in a motorcycle accident.

Kaplan, who will be officiating at his fourth World Cup, was set to control the England v Wales on August 13 and Ireland v France on August 20.

However, he has been given time off to recover from his accident.

“Rather than rush him back to action, we took the decision to give Jonathan the best possible environment to return to peak fitness and conditioning ahead of the tournament,” says IRB referee manager Paddy O’Brien.

Kaplan is scheduled to officiate in the Currie Cup in South Africa before the World Cup to help regain match fitness.

He was injured when a taxi door opened unexpectedly in front of him while he was riding a scooter in Cape Town.

He suffered a cut to a leg in the collision that required 30 stitches