Jackson, the former Chiefs and Bay of Plenty first five-eighth who took his trade to the northern hemisphere and played for Saracens, has taken to the referees' ranks like a duck to water.
After refereeing the match between Otago and Canterbury at Carisbrook on Saturday he will be the man in the middle when New Zealand Schools take on Australian Schools at Littlebourne tomorrow.
He will then be in the hot seat when North Harbour and Wellington clash on Sunday.
Jackson (34) said controlling top-class games was far beyond his expectations in his first year of refereeing.
"It's been great. I never thought I would get even close to getting an ITM Cup game.
"The North Harbour game will probably be a bit more intense as there will be a lot riding on it," he said.
"I'm very thankful to get there already. It's a lot of hard work but a lot of fun, too."
Jackson is one of a rare breed, having played the game at a high level before moving into refereeing.
Many referees these days are coming into the game with little playing experience, leading to complaints by critics they have little feeling for the game.
But Jackson said referees were doing their best, and the issue was a result of referees starting younger.
He felt there was a certain advantage in having played the game at a higher level.
"I was pretty nervous at the beginning of the week but with the atmosphere we had on Saturday, and the conditions, then that helps teams to play better.
"I suppose I have a little bit more feeling of what the players are trying to do."
He said it was a massive step up from the Heartland Championship to Carisbrook on Saturday.
The scrums were a bit messy but overall he was quite satisfied with his performance.
When he started refereeing he found himself standing in the wrong place, but input from Bryce Lawrence and Rod Hill had helped him to start running good lines.
"I'm still involved in the game I love, though it is a bit of a different atmosphere.
"But after being a professional for 12 years I'm just looking after myself.
"There is no manager around, no coach."
All referees had to review their games within 48 hours of the match, and those reviews were looked over by the referees association.
An association assessor also watched referees at work during matches.
He felt it was a good way to approach his game, and suggested teams should look at a similar method.
The new laws around the breakdown were helping the game, he said.
"It is never going to be ideal but it is a lot better than it was.
"You might get one or two wrong but the players have to accept that and get on with it."
