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Motel "Max" Baise is a South African retired rugby union referee from Hoopstad, Free State. He gained notability for refereeing more matches between South Africa and the British Lions.

Personal life
Baise was born in Hoopstad, Orange Free State as the son of Lithuanian immigrants. He attended Jewish bording school in Johannesburg but moved to Hoopstad school so he could play rugby, eventually graduating from Kroonstad and captaining the Free State Schools as a centre. Baise has two children. He moved to live in Riversdale, Western Cape. In 2015, he wrote an autobiography about his life as a rugby referee and work in business.

Career
Baise played rugby after school but his playing career ended after an injury. Baise started refereeing in 1954 in the Cape Province after his cousin and him gatecrashed a meeting of the local referees society and paid 5 shillings to join and received a free lawbook. During his time refereeing, he gained the nickname of "Mr Ref" from the players. In 1960, he attended South African refereeing trials for the first time. In 1967, he was selected to referee South Africa against France, becoming the first Jewish international referee.

Lions Tests
During his time refereeing, British Lions tour matches did not have neutral referees so a local one would be chosen from a set list. In the 1968 British Lions tour to South Africa, he refereed South Africa against the British Lions on the same day as his son's bar mitzvah. In the 1974 British Lions tour to South Africa, the Lions chose Baise to referee the first test match. After the match, the South African Rugby Board's chairman Danie Craven verbally challenged Baise and he was removed from the list for consideration for the next two tests. Due to his replacement Cas de Bruyn not giving decisions favourable to South Africa, Baise was returned to the list and selected to referee the fourth test. During the match with the score being 13-13, Baise controversially ended the match early with the Lions on the attack which denied them a tour whitewash. When asked why, Baise responded "Look boys, I have to live here".

In the 1976 New Zealand rugby union tour of South Africa, the New Zealand Rugby Football Union requested Baise as a referee. However Craven refused the request without providing a reason.