Women in a Men's World
The change started when women first stopped wearing frocks and now a women in a frock is a rare sight, and the people in charge of the UK and Germany are women, the International Monetary fund is run by a woman and it seems that a woman will become the president of the USA.
It should not surprise us, as women have really run the world since Eve. They just allow men to crow like roosters while they go about scratching for food.
Look down the appointments for this week and you will not be surprised to see women's names amongst the appointees – Joy Neville, Clare Daniels and Sara Cox, Christine Hanizet, and Maria Latos and Katharina Pickert.
In South Africa there are women who have been remarkably involved in South African Rugby, including those energetic ladies who have been secretaries to SA Referees but much more than just that in their work for the referees – Dana Eitzen and, currently, Lettie Coetzee. They have been the tops and represent the many woman called secretaries but really running the men's refereeing in the provinces!
Then there is Engela Pretorius, a project manager for a firm of electrical engineers, who has been for a number of years the chairman of Border Referees and a council member of South African referees. She is also an assessor. She has said: "If you're competent, positive and show a love for the game, you can achieve anything, whether male or female."
On the field South Africa has women Test referees, who have been involved in men's rugby – Jenny Bentel, Kim Smit, Marlize van der Merwe and now Aimee Barrett.
Jenny was, in 2004, South Africa's first woman to referee a Test and in 2005 became the first to referee a men's interprovincial match – Golden Lions vs Griffons Under-19. In 2005 she was also elected to the executive of the WP Referees' Society, before wandering into the KwaZulu Natal mountains.
Kim Smit of the Golden Lions and then the Pumas followed soon after – Tests, including the Women's World Cup, men's Under-19 interprovincials, male national weeks, the IRB's men's Sevens Series and the National Sevens. She was an assistant referee in the Vodacom Cup Final in 2008 and then coached and assessed referees in men's rugby, including Currie Cup matches. When she retired at the end of 2016 it was to watch her son play more often, a scrumhalf for the Lions and the Golden Lions.
Other South African women have refereed Tests – Eugenia Daniels-Africa, Eska Claassen and Marlize van der Merwe (formerly Jordaan) who also went to the World Cup and refereed in the Six Nations. In addition Marlize has been an assistant at senior level and refereed Under-19 provincial matches.
In December Aimee Barrett, who played for South Africa at 15s and Sevens, will be refereeing her first Test – in Hong Kong. She has also been involved in men's matches – as an assistant in matches, including Currie Cup matches, and in the IRB's Sevens Series. She was one of 11 referees who refereed the women's Sevens at this year's Olympic Games in Rio.
A look around the world tells that many women are involved in men's matches, just as men have for years been involved in women's rugby matches.
Here is a quick glance at women's refereeing achievements in rugby around the world.
Australia
Amy Perrett of New South Wales is one of the top referees in the world at women's rugby. She has also refereed in the National Rugby Championship, the top Australian men's domestic competition, and the Shute Shield, New South Wales's top club competition. Then this year she was an assistant referee in Super Rugby. She is a full-time, professional referee.
Rachel Horton of Queensland, Amber Hibbard of Victoria and Tyler Miller of Western Australia have referee in their state's top men's competition.
Canada
Rose La Brèche, a Test referee, has refereed in top men's competitions in Ontario, Quebec and the Canadian Rugby Championship. Before her Joyce Henry refereed Tests and men's matches, including a men's club final in the year she retired – 2012. Sherry Trumbull, top referee in the women's rugby world, also refereed men's club rugby in Canada.
England
Sara Cox is the first woman referee in England to become a full-time professional.
Claire Hodnett, one of the top women's referees in the world, referees men's matches in England. She is ranked in England's national panel.
Clare Daniels no longer referees Test matches but is regularly an assistant referee in England's Premiership and Championship, the top men's competitions.
France
Christine Hanizet is regularly involved as a referee or an assistant in Pro D2, the second division of professional rugby in France with teams like Agen, Biarritz, Béziers and Perpignan. In fact her name is not prominent in women's rugby where Marie Lematte is a Test referee.
Germany's top men's league is the Bundesliga. There are three women's in that league – Katharina Pickert, Maria Latos and Ioana Sava who comes originally from Romania.
Hong Kong
Gabriel Lee has refereed many women's Tests and was also at the Olympic Games this year. She has refereed men's Tests and been an assistant referee for men's Tests. She has also refereed in the men's Asian Sevens.
Ireland
Joy Neville, who played No.8 and captained Ireland before she started refereeing, made history just recently when she was the assistant referee in European Professional Club Rugby's Challenge Cup match between Bath and Bristol when the other assistant referee was Clare Daniels of England. In Ireland Joy has refereed men's Ulster Cup matches up to Division 1 and refereed the men's Under-18 international between England and Wales in April 2016. She has refereed many women's Tests.
This year Helen O'Reilly became the first woman referee to be appointed to the National Referee Panel and so will also referee Ulster Bank matches..
Italy
Maria Beatrice Benvenuti of Rome, who is couple of years younger than 25 – It's dangerous to mention lady's ages – is the daughter of a rugby coach and is already a Test referee who refereed at the Rio Olympics. She has reached Serie A of Italy's men's rugby as a referee.
New Zealand
In New Zealand, top Test referees, Nicky Inwood and Chelsea Gurr, also referee men's rugby – in the top division of Canterbury's club rugby. Brigitte Tyler, 23 years old, this year made her debut as a referee in Auckland's Premier club rugby and has been an assistant at World Rugby's men's Sevens in Wellington. She is the first woman in Auckland to referee at this level.
Scotland
New Zealand born, Alexandra Pratt has been in Scotland for 12 years, played for Scotland and now is a referee. She is the first woman to referee at the Melrose Sevens – and was also a match official at the Rio Olympics.
Spain
The top men's league in Spain is the División de Honor. Three women have refereed in that division – first Paloma Loza, then Itziar Díaz who ended last year and now Alhambra Nievas who referees all over the world, including the Sevens in Rio where she refereed the women's final. Alhambra has also been the assistant in a men's Test – Tonga vs USA.
USA
In 2009 Dana Teagarden, a top referee of women's internationals, became the first woman to referee in the IRB Sevens Series. That was in San Diego.
Leah Berard is the first woman to referee men's professional rugby in the USA, refereeing in PRO Rugby and the Pacific Rugby Premiership. A Test referee she has also been an assistant referee at men's Tests. Then there is the Florida singer-songwriter, Haylee Slaughter, who is also an international referee.
Wales
In 2013 Francesca Martin became the first Welsh referee to be appointed to men's league matches.
There are probably more around the world and do you doubt that women referees will become more prominent as referees in the men's game? Not when you look at Mrs May, Mrs Merkels, Ms Legarde and Mrs Clinton. More and more ladies will swap frocks for rugby shorts.
