Latest News Archive

Please select Category, Year, and then Month to display items
Previous Archive
18 October 2019 | Story Ruan Bruwer | Photo Getty Images
Jaco Peyper
Jaco Peyper, former Kovsie, will handle a quarter-final match at the Rugby World Cup. It will also be his 50th test match.

With the appointment of Jaco Peyper as referee there will be Kovsie alumni among the referees, players and coaches in the quarter-finals of the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan on 20 October.

Lappies Labuschagné will start on the flank for Japan in their clash against the Springboks on Sunday. Labuschagné, a former Shimla captain, is second on the list for tackles made in the tournament thus far.
In the Springbok camp there are former University of the Free State (UFS) students in Rassie Erasmus (head coach) and Jacques Nienaber (defence coach).

UFS alumnus Jaco Peyper has been entrusted with the whistle in Sunday’s other quarter-final between Wales and France. It will be a memorable match for Peyper as it will be his 50th test appearance as the 31st man on the field – making him only the third South African to achieve this feat.

Peyper, who is the only South African among the 12 referees at the tournament, made his World Cup debut in 2015 when he officiated the opening match. In total he has handled six World Cup encounters. 

His illustrious career has seen him become only the fourth referee in history to officiate in 100 Super Rugby matches earlier in the year, in which he also handled the final (his fourth Super Rugby final). Peyper scooped the SA Referee of the Year award in 2018 for a third time, a year in which he took charge of his fourth Currie Cup Final.

“The fact that he is only the third South African referee to take charge of 50 tests indicates what a special achievement this is. It takes years of hard work and dedication to reach this level as a referee, and to maintain this standard year-in and year-out is even more challenging as it requires one to produce effective performances consistently,” said Jurie Roux, the CEO of SA Rugby.

News Archive

Dreams come true
2014-06-11


Lizelke Klindt – part of the Kovsie family

 

“To be a Kovsie is awesome.” This is how Lizelke Klindt starts the conversation.

Who is Lizelke?

She is one of our top emerging academics. Expanding on her BSc in Astrophysics, she obtained an honours degree in Physics this year – cum laude – earning her the Dean’s and Senate Medal.

At this year’s Kovsie Open Day on the Bloemfontein Campus, Lizelke beamed across the stage at prospective students and their parents – embodying true Kovsie pride.  

Her academic journey has just begun, though. Lizelke is currently doing her MSc in Astrophysics. Her thesis focuses on the ‘Multi-wavelength Analysis of Unidentified Active Galactic Nuclei in the Fermi 2LAC Catalogue’.

“This will allow me to travel around to collect my own data and will broaden my skill set in order to reduce the various data,” she says.

Her achievements have gone hand in hand with hard work and grapping every opportunity the university has to offer, she admits. She also has a lot of praise for our university for offering research opportunities to graduates in their respective fields.  

“My studies have allowed me to travel a lot and to meet people from all over the world. I have made friends in Germany, Poland, Australia and other European countries.

“And the best part of it all is I get to fly a lot. I absolute love it. And if there was such a thing as a second life, I would definitely be a pilot or hopefully an astronaut. It’s a good feeling to be part of the Kovsie family.”

Lizelke plans to continue onto her PhD in the coming years. And then? She fervently wishes to get a post-doctoral position at the very same university that opened a world to her that she loves passionately. A world she has dreamt of since childhood.

We use cookies to make interactions with our websites and services easy and meaningful. To better understand how they are used, read more about the UFS cookie policy. By continuing to use this site you are giving us your consent to do this.

Accept