RugbyWA Referee to Make Test Match Debut

Wed, Apr 10, 2024, 8:54 AM
Rugby WA Media

Tyler Miller will be making her international test match debut as a referee in the upcoming World Rugby Pacific Four Series in April of this year.

RugbyWA Referee history-maker, Tyler Miller, is set to make her international test match debut during the USA v. Canada match on the 28th of April in the USA during the World Rugby Pacific Four Series.

This is the first time she will oversee a 15-a-side game at the international level.

Tyler’s journey with refereeing began as a teenager with no opportunities to play the sport she loved.

“There were no options to play after I was 12, so I figured as I was still going to rugby with my dad and my brother anyway, I might as well find a way of staying involved, so I started refereeing,” Tyler said.

She made her refereeing debut at 14, after two years as an Assistant Referee, in RugbyWA's junior competition. Her first games with the whistle were juniors at Britannia Oval in Leederville.

“And that was it.”

In 2016, Tyler made RugbyWA history as the first female referee to take charge of a Premier Grade match. Soon after, Tyler stepped up to officiate on the Australian Domestic Sevens circuit.

“When I first got opportunities, I was so nervous."

“I put too much pressure on myself to make the most of those opportunities because rugby was all I’d ever done.”

In 2019, Tyler was recognised as the Official of the Year at the SportWest Awards, a recognition of her talent and dedication within the Western Australian sporting sphere.

Now, Tyler is one of the most recognised female referees in the game.

In 2018, Tyler made her HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series debut in Paris, following her international debut in Hong Kong earlier that year. Since then, she has officiated the international Sevens series nine times, in Glendale (2019), Sydney (2019, 2020), Kitakyushu (2019), Langford (2019, 2022) and Hamilton (2020), as well as Dubai and Perth in 2024, as part of the HSBC SVNS.

In 2020, Tyler made her referee debut at the Olympic Games in Tokyo, taking charge of matches between the Russian Olympic Commitee v. Kenya, and Canada v. Brazil.

“The Olympics is right up there, for sure,” Tyler commented, regarding career highlights.

“I just think it was so unique, you know, being able to hear everything that was happening in the field, being able to really immerse yourself in the game and what is going on. I think it’s never going to happen again, so it was very surreal."

“I wasn’t involved in the gold medal match but being on the sidelines after the medal ceremony and watching the ceremony, the Haka, and the whole ambience of that (was special). You see it on TV and in that sense, it’s amazing, but being there in person was pretty breathtaking.”

Following this, in 2022, she made her Rugby World Cup Sevens debut in South Africa, as well as at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.

Now an international stalwart, Tyler will be making her international test match debut in the opening match of the World Rugby Pacific Four Series on April 28, 2024, between the USA and Canada.

“I’m looking forward to the nature of the game itself - a North American rivalry is comparable to a trans-Tasman one, and I know how that adds another layer to the game."

“I think the atmosphere will be special and I am looking forward to being part of that.”

She will also be appearing as the assistant referee in the New Zealand v. USA match on May 11, 2024.

Learning from all her hard work and perseverance, Tyler’s advice to future referees is, above all else, to just be consistent.

“There are a lot of opportunities out there if you put the time and energy in."

“I was lucky in the sense I always was passionate about it and enjoyed it, but the perks that come along with the role, such as the travel and the friendships you make are priceless."

“It’s not always easy and there are definitely tough times, but I think the experience you gain from refereeing manifests in so many positive ways that can be used in day-to-day life.”

Tyler’s international test match debut officiating USA and Canada will kick off at 1.30PM PDT on April 28, 2024, at Dignity Health Sports Park, California (5.30AM AWST, April 29, 2024).