Cape Town - South Africa’s leading female referees, Aimee-Barrett Theron and Ashleigh Murray, will hold the whistle in the July and August international window and 2021 Women’s Rugby World Cup Qualifiers after being named on World Rugby’s referee panels for these significant matches. 

Barrett-Theron will kick off her duties as an assistant referee in the clash between France and New Zealand on Saturday, July 6, in the Women’s Rugby Super Series at the Chula Vista Elite Centre in San Diego, before taking charge of the matches between England and France on Wednesday, July 10, and France and the USA on Sunday, July 14. 

The former Springbok Women’s player’s next assignment will be at Eden Park in New Zealand on Saturday, August 17, where she will hold the whistle in the Test between arch-rivals New Zealand and Australia. 

Murray has been tasked with officiating the Africa Women’s Rugby World Cup Qualifying matches between Kenya and Uganda on Tuesday, August 13, and Madagascar and Uganda on Saturday, August 17, in the Women’s Cup at the Bosman Stadium in Brakpan, Gauteng. 

The duo will also be in action in the tournament, which will see the top team on log points’ after three rounds of matches book their place in the 2021 Women’s Rugby World Cup in New Zealand. 

“Congratulations to Aimee and Ashleigh on their appointments and for their impressive performances, which has seen them earn regular international appointments in the last few seasons,” said SA Rugby CEO Jurie Roux.  

“It takes a lot of hard work and determination to reach this level, and the fact that they have been able to feature at international level consistently shows the high standards within our Referees Department and among our referees themselves.  

“It is particularly pleasing to have both of them participating in important internationals the same time, and we hope to see many more aspiring women’s referees follow this path in future.”