Kim Smit - new Test referee
First Test Saturday
Kim Smit has been appointed to referee the second women's Test between South Africa and the Netherlands in Durban on Saturday. It will be her first Test.
She is the second South African woman to referee Test rugby. The first is Jenny Bentel who has refereed two Tests so far.
Kim, Jenny and Rosalind Fortuin have been nominated for the Women's World Cup in Canada later this year when South Africa will be taking part for the first time.
Kim started refereeing five years ago. She was watching a match and was critical of the referee. Another referee standing on the touch line with her suggested she try her hand at refereeing. She then joined the Mpumalanga Referees' Society and has made steady progress since then.
"Hard work and good coaching have got me where I am," she says. And there is no doubt that she is enthusiastic about what she is doing.
She has come up the ranks and refereed several women's provincial match. Last year she refereed her first men's provincial - a match between Western Province and Border at Under-19 level. She has also refereed a lot of top schools rugby. "It's so fast," she says.
Last weekend she ran touch for Jenny in the first Test of the series and enjoyed it. It was amongst other things, "the best performance by a South African women's team, so far". South Africa won the Test 43-12.
Kim left there Mpumalanga Society and joined the Golden Lions in search of greater opportunities. It means a fair bit if travel but with support from her Society, notably secretary Gabriel Pappas and coach Theuns Naudé, she has flourished.
Kim was born in Germiston but grew up in Secunda, where they turn coal into petrol, going to school at Oosterland. She, her supportive husband Jan and their two sins, live in Secunda about 150 km from Ellis Park.
Earlier this year he damaged the ligaments in her ankle but hard training enabled her to pass Monday's fitness test. She says a lot of preparation has gone into the match and she is looking forward to it.
Jenny says how supportive Kim was on the line last week and intends giving Kim the same level of support this week.