Another fine first for female referee Cox
Sara Cox should by now be used to breaking new ground in sport.
She recently became the first female assistant referee in a Gallagher Premiership fixture, when Wayne Barnes was in the middle at the Rec for the closely run 23-27 Wasps victory over fellow Premiership play-off contenders Bath.
- Red Roses move to stage two in elite sport framework
- Quilter Cup: England v Barbarians tickets on sale
- The Eddie Jones Coaching Podcast - Joe Schmidt
It was the latest in a string of firsts: the world’s first professional female referee when centrally contracted by the RFU in 2016; the first woman to referee a National League 1 match; the first to referee a Premiership Rugby Cup match; the first female to referee a Greene King IPA Championship match.
Having played rugby for Collumpton and Exeter Saracens, Sara took up refereeing. Her CV now includes: assistant referee at the 2014 Women’s Rugby World Cup and refereeing at the 2017 tournament; being the only English referee for rugby sevens at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro; refereeing the women’s final in the Sevens World Cup in San Francisco and at the 2018 Commonwealth Games sevens event in Australia and being an assistant referee for 2018 men's internationals between Germany and Hong Kong and Kenya v Germany, then in the same month, officiating France Women v New Zealand Women.
Sara is very much a team player, having swapped 14 team mates on the pitch for half a dozen in the officiating team at the Rec.
“The experience was amazing,” she says. “Working with Wayne Barnes and Christophe Ridley was great. After the match, sitting in the sun with the six of us in the team reviewing the game as we ate our take away dinners made a fantastic day even better.
“Back in the referee department there’s the game to review, which is essential. Looking at where I make errors is how I learn. It’s good to have all the positive support but my primary focus has to be on the job and learning from each game.
“This was an experience I’ve always wanted and to work with Wayne at a Premiership match with some of the best players in the world on the pitch, what more could you ask for? It was a tight 80 minutes and it goes by so quickly. At the end I was really mentally fatigued.”
Sadly, with no fans at the Rec, Sara’s family couldn’t be there. “I would have loved to have my mum and my family there but as that was impossible they were in front of the TV watching. Without fans, it was such a different experience, no supporters cheering when tries were scored. It made me recalibrate and realise how grateful I am for the crowds, the big rugby family.”
This new step on Sara’s refereeing journey saw lots of interest from the media and beyond.
“I got such a positive response. People re-engaging with me, both from rugby and those with no rugby background at all. I loved this opportunity as a first but what I would love is for women referees to become the norm. Now with Amy Perrett refereeing in Australia, Joy Neville in Ireland and Hollie Davidson in Scotland, with all of us involved week in week out, it can only inspire others.
“That’s something I want to do, grow interest, inspire others. I’ve spoken to people in the business world who said ‘we didn’t know women could be professional referees’. Now they know it’s possible and my job is to be out there in the middle of a rugby pitch.”
