- Title: First female Premiership rugby referee Cox amazed at reaction
- Date: 27th September 2021
- Summary: LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (SEPTEMBER 27, 2021) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF SARA COX, RUGBY FOOTBALL UNION REFEREE WALKING ONTO PITCH (SOUNDBITE) (English) RUGBY FOOTBALL UNION REFEREE, SARA COX, SAYING: "Amazing, I couldn't have honestly asked for better, I think there was a lot of engagement and interaction on social media and and I didn't really process it until I actually ran out of the tunnel and I followed the players out and I got into the middle and there are twelve and a half thousand people all cheering, albeit that was for the teams as well. You stop being a part of that moment, you start absorbing what's going on around you. I took two seconds to have a look around and look at the crowd to see if I can spot my family and just enjoy that because frankly I think what we have learnt recently in recent times as well, is that some of those moments can be very quickly taken away from you. So it was for me to take in as much as possible and enjoy that." CLOSE UP OF ENGLAND ROSE VARIOUS OF COX TALKING TO JOURNALISTS (SOUNDBITE) (English) RUGBY FOOTBALL UNION REFEREE, SARA COX, SAYING: "They were so respectful, and equally I was respectful to them and the way they do their job because ultimately at the end of the day we are there to do jobs and we are there to perform on the day and each and every single one of them including the coaching staff congratulated me afterwards, shook my hand and said well done and it's great to see you here. So look, perfomance-wise, we will look at that in the background and we will look at how how I did and my accuracy of things and what that looks like. But for them to shake my hand and say well done and for them to know about it as well was great." VARIOUS CUTAWAYS OF COX BEING INTERVIEWED BY JOURNALISTS (SOUNDBITE) (English) RUGBY FOOTBALL UNION REFEREE, SARA COX, SAYING: "It is about me doing a job out there and regardless of my gender it is about me getting out there in and making sure that I can be as accurate as possible. If I'm not, then I need to learn from those mistakes and that for me is is about any part of any job is that you're there to do a job at the end of the day and you're there to learn from that as well and is regardless of gender when I blow that first whistle, I'm a referee and I'm there to facilitate that game and I can't forget that." VARIOUS OF COX SITTING IN STANDS (SOUNDBITE) (English) RUGBY FOOTBALL UNION REFEREE, SARA COX, SAYING: "To be honest I'd love to see more people involved in refereeing fullstop. And again, regardless of gender it's about being involved in those games, it is about enjoying and it's about understanding that we have a wonderful community behind rugby and that's from grassroots all the way to professional games. Those people in that stadium this weekend just gone are still people that love the game and are there to watch a game of rugby and I want more people to understand that and I want more people to be involved in that because I've been involved for a long time now and it's it's made me who I am I'm not only my job as a person as well."
- Embargoed: 11th October 2021 13:46
- Keywords: RFU Sara Cox female referee rugby union
- Location: LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM
- City: LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM
- Country: United Kingdom
- Topics: Europe,Rugby League,Sport
- Reuters ID: LVA001EWHXTFJ
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Sara Cox said her historic debut as a Premiership referee could not have gone any better after earning rave reviews for her handling of Harlequins' win against Worcester on Saturday.
The 31-year-old became the first female referee to officiate in an English top-flight game and said her breakthrough would encourage more to follow in her footsteps.
"Amazing, I couldn't have honestly asked for better, I think there was a lot of engagement or interaction on social media and things and I didn't really process it until I actually ran out of the tunnel and I followed the players out," Cox told Reuters.
"When I got in the middle and there are 12,500 people all cheering ... you stop being apart of that moment, you start absorbing what's going on around you."
Cox, who has previously refereed a Premiership Cup match in 2018, two years after becoming the world's first professional female rugby union referee, handed out one yellow card in the match at Twickenham Stoop won 35-29 by Harlequins.
She praised both sets of players, some of whom initially addressed her as "sir".
"They were so respectful," Cox said. "Each and every single one of them including the coaching staff congratulated me afterwards, shook my hand and said well done and it's great to see you here. So, performance-wise, we will look at that in the background and we will look at how I did and my accuracy."
Cox, whose Premiership refereeing debut was postponed last season because of the COVID-19 shutdown, said it was just about "doing the job" regardless of gender.
"It's about me getting out there and making sure that I can be as accurate as possible and if I'm not then I need to learn from those mistakes," she said.
"To be honest I'd love to see more people involved in refereeing, regardless of gender. It's about being involved in those games, it is about enjoying and it's about understanding that we have a wonderful community behind rugby and that's from grassroots all the way to professional games.
"I've been involved for a long time now and it's made me who I am, not only my job, as a person as well."
Cox said she hoped she was helping to break down barriers.
"I think we have just got to keep that momentum, you've got to keep pushing forward," she said. "If people can't see what I do and some of the barriers I've managed to break, albeit by accident, we can't get people involved because they just don't know about it."
Announcing her appointment last week, Phil Winstanley, Rugby Director at Premiership Rugby, said it was not about gender.
"Sara is an excellent referee, she's been developing over many years and has progressed through the Premiership Rugby Shield and the Premiership Rugby Cup," he said.
"This appointment is very much about her skill and ability as a referee and she's there on merit."
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