That was the verdict this week of some of Jonathon White's refereeing colleagues as he goes into his very first Super 14 match - Highlanders vs Sharks in Dunedin. On Thursday night, already in Dunedin, he heard that he had passed his physician's exam.

It's an exciting moment for a young man, one hopes fervently a great start to a wonderful career. His colleagues, who know him well believe that he has all the credentials to be a great success.

Jonathon is 29, but he has been refereeing for 12 years already. He was at school (Scots College in Wellington) when he started refereeing. He played rugby at school and was 17 when he started refereeing.

Jonathon says: "i started refereeing while still a schoolboy and enjoyed the challenge immediately. It immediately struck me as something that was widely accepted as a difficult and often thankless task, but one that was well respected when a good job was done. I never really thought too much beyond my first few games but I was very fortunate to be promoted quite quickly in the early stages of my career, which proved a steep learning curve but one that I enjoyed."

From school Jonathon went south to the University of Otago - yes, he was a scarfie - in Dunedin  for six years to read medicine - and develop his refereeing. The medical studies went well and so did the refereeing - Air New Zealand Cup and now Super 14.

Refereeing may seem a solitary occupation - out there all alone, sometimes in a hostile environment, but it is not something you can do alone. Everybody needs support.

Who helped Jonathon White? "Most importantly my family but I have learned my refereeing under the guidance of the people of the Wellington Rugby Referees', Otago Rugby Referees' and Auckland Rugby Referees' Associations. Most recently this has been under the tutelage of Lyndon bray, Colin Hawke and my coach Rod Hill in the New Zealand Rugby Union's refereeing office. But I always feel that the greatest learning opportunities have come in the middle, where players, coaches and rugby people all over the first class scene in New Zealand have helped to shape my refereeing." And he has had role models in Lindsay McLachlan and Paddy O'Brien.

So many societies - first school, then university and now Auckland where he lives, has a medical practice and is studying for exams. On tour as referee, when others have been relaxing and having fun, he has had his head down, bashing the books in preparation for a physician's exam, which happened last week. And - alleluia - he passed.

How does he cope with study and refereeing? "Over the last 13 months I have studied towards exams to train as a specialist physician and eventually a cardiologist. It has been a fairly long year and balancing this with full time hospital work and refereeing in professional competitions has been a tremendous challenge. It is very easy to talk about putting aspects of your life in discrete boxes but sometimes it is a very hard thing to do. Still, the experiences I have been privy to in a combined refereeing and medical career have been a privilege and provide a dual role that I am very keen to preserve.

And travelling? "Travel and meeting people around the rugby world are two of the great things I see in a refereeing career. We are very fortunate to be so well looked after by our managers, unions and sponsors. So refereeing is a great way to see some of the world. But mainly it's about the people you meet I think."

Already he has refereed in the Pacific Nations Cup and at the Junior World Championship in Durban. This year he was in South Africa as an assistant referee on Super 14 duty.

What doe he try to achieve on the field? "The most important goal I have is to do what I can to assist players and coaches to play the game they want to. I feel that the best referees achieve this by establishing clear boundaries early in a match so that players have a clear understanding of what is and isn't allowed. Once that is achieved, I aim to rule with a feel for the context of the game so that negative play is ruled out and positive play is rewarded. I think, as referees, we all hope that this sort of approach can allow the side that deserves to win, does so."

What do you enjoy about refereeing? "Refereeing is a great challenge for the task itself. To be able to manage international matches with the trust of rugby people is a goal I strive for, purely in and of itself. But beyond this, refereeing is as much about the people you meet and the places you go. So in that sense, it is not just a great experience, but also a vehicle for other life experiences."

Jonathon Matthew White was born in Wellington on 19 June 1980. He now lives in Auckland with his wife Anna.

The rugby world will wish him well.