Keith Brown from the deep south of New Zealand, is relatively new to Super rugby but this season he has been appointed to three matches in the first four rounds - in Durban, Cape Town and Christchurch.

Christchurch is just up the road from Invercargill but the others are a long way from home. Mind you, the top rugby referee in modern times gets round the world. Keith had taken his whistle to South Africa, United Arab Emirates, Malaysia, Japan, Fiji, Samoa, Papua New Guinea and neighbouring Australia. That already, and his career is only just getting going. Of the rigours of business-class travelling he says: "Travel is made easier with a glass or two of red wine and a sleeping pill!"

Like many others, injury pointed him to refereeing. He says: "I played until I was 21, but failed to scale any great heights! Then  in 1993 I started refereeing, planning to take a year off playing to let my body recover from injuries. I enjoyed my first year refereeing that much, that I never went back playing.:

Keith's progress has been relative rapid, which suggests that he has exceptional talent as a referee.

"I refereed my first premier club game in 1995, and made my first class debut in 1999. My first year in the New Zealand National Referee Squad was 2002, and since that time I have refereed 64 first-class games, including 29 Air New Zealand Cup games, six Super 14 games and three test matches."

So far, in the first four weeks of Super 14, he has been appointed to Sharks vs Chiefs in Durban, Stormers vs Waratahs at Newlands and Crusaders vs Blues in Christchurch. His Tests up to now have been Fiji vs Samoa, Samoa vs Papua New Guinea and Japan vs Canada.

He made his Super rugby debut in 2008, but it is not an easy group to break into as there are several of the world's top referees there - Jonathan Kaplan, Stuart Dickinson, Mark Lawrence, Bryce Lawrence, Marius Jonker, Steve Walsh and Craig Joubert amongst them.

He is grateful to those who have helped him - "the members of my local association, Rugby Southland Referees, for teaching me the basics, along with my current coach, Tony Kelly. My wife and family have also been great supporters of my career."

Role models? "No-one in particular,  I try to emulate the strengths of the top referees."

Mind you, Paddy O'Brien, the IRB's manager of referees is a citizen of Invercargill. Help is sure to have come from the great man,

Refereeing method? "I try to rule on what matters, and appropriately manage what doesn't matter."

What's enjoyable about refereeing? "I enjoy the travel, meeting new people, and the mental challenge of refereeing."

Keith has done so well that he is one of the small band of full time referees around the world, keen enough to give up his career as a solicitor to make refereeing his full-time occupation. When his refereeing days are over, he intends to move back in legal practice.

Keith William Brown is very much a Southlander. He was born in Invercargill (18 December 1971), went to school there (Southland Boys’ High School) and lives there - right at the end of the rugby world. Mind you he did go off to study - up[ north in Dunedin, where he was a Scarfie, a student at the University of Otago till he graduated in 1994.

Home in Invercargill is with wife Sarah and their two children - Nick (4) and Katy (2).