Super Rugby's first-ever female match official retires
Amy Perrett has ended her professional Rugby career on a high, winning the Sports NSW 2021 Official of the Year Award in Sydney earlier this week before today announcing her retirement from officiating the professional arm of the game.
Super Rugby’s first-ever female match official, Perrett will continue working to grow the officiating space in Australia, transitioning into a game development role within Rugby AU, focusing on community and female match official growth and development around the country.
In a career spanning more than 10 years, Perrett has been a trailblazer for aspiring referees in the game, becoming the first female to officiate a Super Rugby match in 2020.
Among some of her most notable appearances, Perrett earned her 100th cap in the World Series in the final of the 2020 Sydney 7s competition and was in the middle of the 2014 Women’s Rugby World Cup final in Paris.
While still refereeing professionally, Perrett has been working on growing the participation numbers of referees around the country in the community game. The announcement comes with her commitment to stay in the game in this role.
On her retirement, Perrett said: “My years refereeing professionally have been some of the best in my life, every game was an opportunity and I’m just grateful so many were afforded to me.
“Officiating has taken me to so many amazing places around the world and I’ve been fortunate to meet some amazing people and have had some life-changing experiences, all while doing something I love.
“It is going to be hard to walk away from the centre of the professional game, but I’m glad I can continue to help young aspiring referees achieve their dreams to one day officiate Test Rugby.
“I look forward to this next chapter in my career, spending time with my family all while continuing to help young match officials.”
Rugby Australia Chief Executive Andy Marinos said: “I’d like to congratulate Amy on both her recognition during the 2021 NSW Sports Awards, as well as for a remarkable career in professional Rugby.
“Amy is a world-class match official who has had a celebrated career in both formats of our game. Her quiet disposition yet steely resolve are qualities that have set her apart in the game. We have been fortunate to have Amy referee at the highest levels within our game both at home and abroad and through this has paved the way for any aspiring female official, and this is a contribution to our game which we can’t celebrate enough.
“While it’s unfortunate to have one less Australian official on the world stage, we’re excited to keep her within Rugby and we will now work with Amy to manage a transition into the administrative side of the game as she continues her role within Rugby AU to help grow and nurture the talent base of match officials across the country.”
National Referees Manager Scott Young said: “While Amy’s departure is a huge loss to our national match official team, her continued contribution to referee administration and development is invaluable to game.
“Amy’s had a monumental career, one any young girl or boy can look to as inspiration when it comes to officiating professional Rugby within Australia, and around the world.
“On behalf of the match official community, I would like to wish her all the best with her retirement. I’m am looking forward to continuing to work with her in forging a robust and successful match official pathway.
“While Amy will not be in the middle of matches, she will be still working towards creating meaningful change within our game.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Wasnt late. Ref 2 assistants andTMO all saw it so who are you to say it was?
3 Go to commentsAre the Brumbies playing the Blues twice in a row?
3 Go to commentsBig difference from the Saders. Forwards really muscled up and laid a solid platform. Scooter brought some steel and I liked the loosie combination. Newell has been rather disappointing this season but stepped up big time - happy also to see Franks dot down. He should do that more often! Reihana had a good game and there seems to be more flair and invention with him in the saddle. McNicoll plays well from the back and is reliable plus inventive when he joins the line. Keep it up chaps!
3 Go to comments🤦♂️🤣 who cares who’s the best . All I know is the All Blacks have the star coach but have few star players now …
30 Go to commentsJe suis sûr que Farrell est impatient de jouer avec Lopez et Machenaud et d’être entraîné par Collazo… 🤭
1 Go to commentsAn on field red (aka a full red) in SRP must surely carry a bigger suspension than a red card given by the bunker as that carries a 20 minute team punishment. Had Damon Murphy abdicated his responsibility as a ref and issued both Drua players a yellow, which would have been upgraded to a 20 minute red by the bunker, that would have killed Australia and New Zealand’s push for the 20 minute red to be trialled globally from July this year.
11 Go to commentsEver so often you all post a Danny Care story that isn’t the announcement that he has finally re-signed for one more, victory tour season at Quins and I’m just like, “well you fooled me again!” My absolute favorite player ever, we need to make his final year at the Stoop (and Twickers) official already. I know he supposedly snubbed France but I won’t feel better until he signs.
1 Go to commentslate hit what late hit it wasn’t at all late and can clearly see he was committed before the tackle
3 Go to commentsChristian Lio -Willies 2 try perfomance was a standout. As was captain Scott Barrett. Up front was where the boys won it.They are a great team and players. Fantastic Crusaders , you can keep going.
3 Go to commentsI don't know how the locals feel about that? I guess if you call yourselves the Worcester Wasps that might be appease. But really we need more teams in the Premiership in my view so they are not padding it out as they are at the moment. It might curtail so many players going abroad as well
5 Go to commentsNZ 😭😭😭is certainly rivaling England for best whingers cup!😭😭😭 !!!
30 Go to commentsYup. New Zealand won 3 out of 10 world cups played. SA 4 out of 8 attempts 30 Vs 50 per cent.🤔🤔
30 Go to commentsShould've done this years ago. Change Saturday kick off times to around 11am. Up and off and back home before 3pm, limit travel time too. Allows players to actually do something else with their Saturday that's family oriented or being rugby fans they could ‘watch’ pro rugby. Increases crowds etc. How can anyone that enjoys grassroots and pro rugby have to choose between the two on Saturdays?
9 Go to commentsI bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
30 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
9 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
30 Go to comments