IRB appoints Women's Panel
The International Rugby Board has underlined its commitment to the development of the world’s top female referees with the announcement of its first-ever Women’s Referee Panel seeking to ensure that the world's top female referees will have regular opportunities to officiate international men’s and women’s matches.
Sarah Corrigan (Australia), Joyce Henry (Canada), Sherry Trumbull (Canada), Clare Daniels (England), Sylvie Bros (France), Gabriel Lee (Hong Kong), Nicky Inwood (New Zealand) and Dana Teagarden (USA) have been selected for the inaugural Panel following a detailed review of performances at Women's Rugby World Cup 2010.
Supporting the Panel will be a development pathway that will standardise and structure performance management and preparations ahead of Rugby World Cup Sevens 2013, Women’s Rugby World Cup 2014 and the Rugby Sevens tournaments at the 2016 Olympic Games.
The referees will have access to a centralised IRB fitness, performance analysis and mentoring programmes that promote consistency and best practice, mirroring the system used for their male counterparts on the IRB High Performance Referee Panel.
IRB Referee Development Consultant Bernd Gabbei, a former Test referee resident in Germany, will manage the programme, working closely with IRB Referee Manager Paddy O'Brien to develop and implement structured performance programmes specifically targeted at raising women’s officiating standards globally.
IRB Chairman Bernard Lapasset said: “The IRB is committed to the growth and development of Women's Rugby worldwide through our strategic plan and there are now more women and girls participating in the sport than ever before.
"The introduction of a dedicated female referee Panel and performance management structure is a milestone for the Women's Game and will provide the opportunity and the environment for the world’s best to realise their potential, while ensuring that consistency of performance is of paramount importance."
Gabbei said: "I am very excited about this programme, which is the first of its kind. Our Member Unions have been extremely supportive and all eight referees have great potential. We hope that this process will not just enhance standards and promote consistency, but provide a pathway for more up and coming referees to reach the highest levels."
Several members of the Panel officiated during the recent Women’s Six Nations, while Women's Rugby World Cup 2010 Final referee Sarah Corrigan, who refereed the 2010 Women's World Cup Final, took charge of Ireland vs England last weekend, while Joyce Henry will take charge of the Bahamas vs Bermuda men's international in April.
The Panel will also benefit from access to existing IRB training and education programmes, including the Talent Optimisation Programme (TOP) run at Stellenbosch University in South Africa and cross-Region exchanges.