Australian Becomes First Woman To Referee Men’s Rugby International
What a great honour for Sarah and pretty decent tick for Australia's Refereeing development programs too!
Any feedback from our local TWF Refs who may know or know of Sarah?
Australian Becomes First Woman To Referee Men’s Rugby International
January 25, 2007 - 11:53am
Story by: ARU
The International Rugby Board has named the ACT's Sarah Corrigan on its panel of 14 match officials for the upcoming Under 19 World Championship to be held in Belfast in April.
The 26-year-old will become the first female referee worldwide to officiate internationally in the male ranks.
It follows on from Sarah's breakthrough 2006 when she became the first woman to referee a Women's Rugby World Cup semi-final, taking charge of the England-Canada match in Edmonton in September.
Sarah, now in her tenth year of whistle-blowing, was also the first female in the ACT, NSW or Queensland to referee a first-grade match and was honoured with an ACT Government Sports Achievement Award for her contribution to the sport in September 2006.
Joining her in Belfast will be the Ford Australian Under 19s, defending the World Championship claimed last year in a thrilling final against New Zealand in Dubai.
The 17-day tournament has proven to be a springboard for many current international players, including Qantas Wallabies Mark Chisholm, Phil Waugh, Stirling Mortlock and Nathan Sharpe.
Julian Pritchard, also from Canberra will join Sarah as a referee in Belfast in April, a double honour for Australia's refereeing ranks.
