Aimee Barrett-Theron will officiate the Varsity Shield final between NMU and CPUT in Port Elizabeth on Thursday.

In doing so, Barrett-Theron will become the first female referee to take charge of a Varsity Shield final.

Barrett-Theron has refereed a number of high-profile matches in her career, including at the 2016 Rio Olympics, the Cup quarter-final of the Women’s World Rugby Sevens Series in France 2016, the Varsity Cup, Craven Week, Currie Cup, as well as an international U18 match between England and France.

In a previous interview, she commented on how great it was to be noticed as a referee, rather than specifically a female referee. And while her gender didn’t matter as much as her judgement, it did influence how much effort she put in.

‘I had to work incredibly hard to get to where I am today,’ Barrett-Theron said. ‘Coming into a male-dominated sport, I knew it was going to be tough.’

The Varsity Shield final will kick off at 6:15pm and be broadcast live on SuperSport.

Photo: Donall Farmer/Gallo Images