ONLY the brave is prepared to take on the tough job of a rugby referee
It’s a ‘man-up’ occupation demanding strong resolve to ignore the emotional outbursts of players and supporters alike who all think they know the rules better.
But 18-year-old Richardsbaai Hoërskool pupil Amelia Eloise Britz’s love for rugby is so strong, she is not in the least concerned.
The Grade 12 schoolgirl’s determination recently saw her qualify as Zululand’s first female referee.
‘I look at it this way, a man can never win an argument with a women,’ she quips.
‘I fell in love with the game at a young age when I used to watch my dad’s RichTek team play.
‘I then played rugby with the boys at Arboretum Primary School.’
Amelia comes from a sporting background, as she played netball, cricket, soccer and showed class in athletics.
She lives at home with brother Wian, mom Magda and dad Wimpie.
Britz became affiliated to the Zululand Sub Union last year after she completed a Boksmart course, wrote exams and completed a fitness test, before qualifying as an Assistant Referee.
She has had her hand in school rugby ever since.
The fiery whistle blower will officially take charge of matches at the Peter Terry Lloyd festival at Grantleigh on Saturday, 10 May.
‘I am excited for this opportunity, but nervous at the same time,’ Britz confesses.
‘I hurt my knee in sport which required a minor operation, and with no women’s rugby in Zululand, I decided that referring was the way to go.’
Amelia has her sights set on the international stage, where she aims to blow her whistle at international fixtures, tournaments and even the World Cup.
Her role model is Natalie du Toit, as after her accident she got up and continued to achieve great things.
‘I train during the week and watch rugby all weekend to try improve my skills.’
When not busy with rugby, Amelia likes to listen to music and taking the dogs for a walk.
She will be jetting off to Holland next year for a gap year where she will apply her reffing skills before coming back to study architecture.
Her motto in life is simple – never give up in life. If you fall down, just brush yourself off and get back up.
