Amy Perrett
Birth nameAmy Perrett
Date of birth1990 or 1991 (age 32–33)
Place of birthSydney, Australia
Rugby union career
Refereeing career
Years Competition Apps
2014–pres.
2012–pres.
2016
2016		 Women's Test matches
Women's Sevens World Series
Olympic Sevens
National Rugby Championship		  
 
5
2
Correct as of 1 January 2018

Amy Perrett (born 1990 or 1991) is an Australian professional rugby union referee.[1] She has refereed at the Women's Rugby World Cup, including the final in 2014, as well as the Women's Sevens World Series and Summer Olympics.[2]

Early life

Amy Perrett was raised in Sydney's north.[3] From the age of seven to twelve she played junior rugby in mixed teams alongside her twin brother, Paul.[3][4] In 2003, when no longer allowed to play against boys and with no girls teams available at the time, Perrett took up rugby refereeing.[2][5]

Refereeing career

Perrett joined the NSW Referees Association in 2008 and then began her senior refereeing career. She made her World Rugby Women's Sevens Series debut as a referee in 2012, and went on to the 2016 Olympic Games where she was in charge of the women's bronze medal match between Canada and Great Britain.

Within the fifteen-a-side game, Perrett has been a regular appointment to the Women's Six Nations Championship since 2014. She refereed the 2014 Women's World Cup final won by England 21–9 against Canada in Paris.[6]

In 2016, Perrett was the first woman appointed to referee men's teams in Australia's National Rugby Championship,[7] after becoming the first female assistant referee in Super Rugby three months earlier.[8]

Further, in 2020 on the 29th August, Perrett became the first female referee in Super Rugby, refereeing the Brumbies vs the Western Force.

During the 2020 Summer Olympics, she was widely criticised on social media by Fijian fans when she refereed the women's semi-final match between Fiji and New Zealand. The fans claimed that Perrett officiated the match in an unfair way.[9]

References

  1. ^ "Amy Perrett to make history as Super Rugby's first female assistant referee". The Guardian. 29 June 2016. Archived from the original on 2 February 2018. Retrieved 2 February 2018.
  2. ^ a b "Amy Perrett". Rugby Australia. Archived from the original on 3 February 2018. Retrieved 2 February 2018.
  3. ^ a b "Two of Us: Amy and Paul Perrett". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax. 2 February 2018. Archived from the original on 2 February 2018. Retrieved 2 February 2018.
  4. ^ Gearin, Mary (30 June 2016). "Amy Perrett: First female Super Rugby referee out to 'prove doubters wrong'". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 2 February 2018. Retrieved 2 February 2018.
  5. ^ Bollen, Fiona (3 May 2016). "Five quick questions with Rio 2016 rugby sevens referee Amy Perrett". The Daily Telegraph. Sydney. Archived from the original on 2 February 2018. Retrieved 2 February 2018.
  6. ^ "Amy Perrett appointed to referee 2014 Women's Rugby World Cup final". rugby.com.au. AAP. 13 August 2016. Retrieved 31 July 2021.
  7. ^ Lulham, Amanda (3 May 2016). "Amy Perrett first female referee in National Rugby Championship". The Daily Telegraph. Sydney. Archived from the original on 2 February 2018. Retrieved 2 February 2018.
  8. ^ Smith, Wayne (16 January 2018). "Castle just the start in breaking rugby's grass ceiling". The Australian. Archived from the original on 2 February 2018. Retrieved 2 February 2018.
  9. ^ Fijivillage. "No formal complaint against ref in Fiji vs NZ semifinal match". www.fijivillage.com. Retrieved 31 July 2021.
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