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Trailblazer Aimee Barrett-Theron is poised to make history as she becomes only the second woman, after Sara Cox, to referee 50 Test matches. She will reach this milestone during the Women’s Six Nations, scheduled from April to May 2026 in Europe.
What makes the milestone event more significant is that Barrett-Theron will become only the fourth South African match official to take charge of 50 Tests when she blows the whistle in the Women’s Six Nations opener on 11 April 2026, when France hosts Italy in Grenoble.
Barrett-Theron, who was also this year’s Inverroche Global Woman in Sport at the 2025 gsport Awards, will also referee the Women’s Six Nations Test between Scotland and France in Edinburgh on 9 May.
gsport spoke to Barrett-Theron in 2025 after the Women’s Rugby World Cup, where she reached her 49th cap. At the time, she spoke of how she hoped that when she did reach the 50th Test milestone, she hoped it would encourage other referees also to attempt to do the same.
“Just in general, my international Tests are currently sitting on 49, so getting to 50 is a massive milestone, and I hope, in my refereeing career, that I can set that Test match total that other referees strive for, and I challenge them to break it as well!”
Barrett-Theron isn’t the only female referee who will be in action over the next few months; Zoe Naude will also participate in the Women’s Six Nations, and Giana Viljoen will feature in the inaugural U21 Women’s Six Nations series.
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Naude refereed the first of her two Tests on 19 September 2024, when the Springbok Women took on Spain at the DHL Stadium in Cape Town. She has been appointed to referee the Women’s Six Nations match between Scotland and England in Edinburgh on 18 April.
Viljoen, who is part of World Rugby’s Talent ID programme, is one of seven match officials on the panel for the nine games in the inaugural U21 Women’s Six Nations, which runs from 18 April to 10 May 2026. Her appointments are for the matches on 2 May between France and Scotland in Tarbes, and 10 May, when Wales host Ireland in Caerphilly.
“The work done by our Referees Department to uplift and upskill our women’s match officials has just been amazing,” said SA Rugby President Mark Alexander.
“Over the years, Aimee has cemented her name as one of the top referees in the world, and to reach 50 Tests is a well-deserved accolade. We would like to congratulate her on this achievement.
“Zoe and Giana are now where Aimee was many years ago, and their appointments are just reward for the hard work they’ve been putting in. We are very proud of them and would like to wish them all the best on the missions ahead.”
Main Photo Caption: Trailblazer Aimee Barrett-Theron is poised to make history as she becomes only the second woman, after Sara Cox, to referee 50 Test matches. She will reach this milestone during the Women’s Six Nations, scheduled from April to May 2026 in Europe. All Photos: Supplied
Photo 2 Caption: Zoe Naude will participate in the Women’s Six Nations, after refereeing the first of her two Tests when the Springbok Women took on Spain in 2024.
Photo 3 Caption: Part of World Rugby’s Talent ID programme, Giana Viljoen is one of the match officials on the panel for the inaugural U21 Women’s Six Nations.
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