Valke Rugby Union referee Shivanka Theron was glued to her screen to witness Holley Davidson make history in the Springboks’ incoming tour match against Portugal in Bloemfontein on July 20.
Davidson, a 32-year-old former Scotland U20 women’s scrum-half, became the first woman to officiate a match featuring the four-time world champions.
Like many other girls aspiring to become professional rugby match officials, Theron tuned in to see how Davidson would fare in the test match.
At the end of the 80 minutes, she was inspired and realised that Davidson had shattered the glass ceiling and paved the way for young female referees like her.
“It was inspiring to see Holley in the middle because people love to say girls shouldn’t play rugby or become referees. They say it’s a men’s sport. Holley showed us all that girls can do it too,” said Theron.
The Kempton Park resident showed her class on August 10 at Benoni Northerns during the Valke Youth League.
She was the only female referee in the competition. She did her job with aplomb, demonstrating to the hordes in attendance that girls are also capable.
The 18-year-old played sevens rugby from 2019 but her short career ended in 2021 when a teacher convinced her to try refereeing. She did and has never looked back ever since.
“I love it. It’s what I think about every Saturday morning,” she said.
Though her job is fun, Theron has on many occasions dealt with jeers and heckling from fans who disagreed with some of her calls during matches. These negative comments have only driven her to work hard to defeat the stereotypes.
“It’s not nice but I learn from my mistakes. I always try to keep my chin up and move on whenever they throw their negative comments at me.”
Despite her job’s ups and downs, it’s her passion for the sport and the little smiles on the young players’ faces when they score a try that remind her of the beauty of rugby.
“The children make it a worthwhile experience. The technical aspects make it more fun. I love running and I have a passion for sports,” she said.
Last year, she was thrown in the lion’s den when she refereed her first-ever provincial match. She grabbed that opportunity with both hands, which she said was a stepping stone to what she hopes to become in the future.
Watching Davidson in the middle blowing the whistle for the most successful rugby team in the world ignited her passion and like the Scotswoman, she wants to make other girls with similar ambitions to dream.
“I still have lots of work to do to get there but I will become a professional referee one day.”
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