Like many of his colleagues, Rasivhenge cannot wait for the rugby season to resume, but he admits the lockdown has been an opportune time for personal growth.

“I was on duty in Australia in the lead-up to the lockdown and had to return home early, and since then I have spent most of my time daily on conference calls, while I also train twice a day,” Rasivhenge told www.springboks.rugby.

“In my spare time I have been reading, spending time with family, doing some introspection and learning to cook.”

Of his training, the SA Rugby National Panel referee said: “We have a great training programme that is conducive to our home environment and that has been good to keep fit and in shape. It involves a lot of core and body-weight training, while it also tests one thoroughly.

“I do, however, miss going to gym and training on a rugby field.”

Rasivhenge welcomed the switch from the field to online conferencing during the lockdown and said the wide variety of areas they have touched on across the referee panels he serves on has been invaluable.

“It is fantastic to see how innovatively the online conferences have been structured and the variety of topics that have been discussed,” he said.

“We have had sessions with a scrum coach, dietician and cricket umpire among others, and there are many more exciting sessions lined up, so it is mental-upskilling in a sense.

“We have also been able to zoom into the technical and tactical areas of the game, and share our individual experiences as referees as well.”

After work and training, Rasivhenge has been using the time at home to improve his culinary skills and mental state of mind. He has also enjoyed playing with his cats, Milo and Itzy.

“I have started to cook more now that I am at home, so I have been playing around in kitchen trying to test my skills,” he said chuckling.

“I didn’t know how to cook gem squash, so I learned to do that and made a nice mince dish with it, while my other best dish so far was lamb chops.

“The lockdown has also given me some time to do some introspection. This is the perfect time to take stock of life, rebuild as individuals, and to reset mentally.”

Rasivhenge has also been giving back to game on Saturday afternoons in what he calls “game day” by sharing his experiences with rugby lovers worldwide through an international non-governmental organisation based in Uganda named Rugby Tackling Life, which is an educational programme aimed at empowering girls through rugby.