Current Black Fern, and former Black Fern Sevens player, Selica Winiata is to referee at two upcoming legs of the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series 2020.
The 33 year-old frontline police constable from Palmerston North, and rugby fullback, who has 40 caps for New Zealand, will officiate at the Dubai and Cape Town tournaments of the world series. They kick off on 5-7 December and 13-15 December respectively.
After a promising international officiating debut at the Oceania Women’s Sevens Championship in Fiji last week, Winiata’s appointment will bring the total number of New Zealand referees on this season’s circuit to four. She joins Lauren Jenner, Richard Kelly and James Doleman on this year’s list.
This season will all end in Tokyo for the 2020 Olympic Games where rugby sevens will feature on the Olympic Games programme for the second time following its successful introduction at Rio 2016. The 7s starts there on 27 July until 1 August.
Commenting on her appointment, Winiata said, “Playing fifteens and refereeing on the series was a big goal of mine and it’s great to have achieved that. Now the hard work starts and I’m really looking forward to the tournaments, putting good performances together and continuing to develop. It’s been a great challenge so far.”
NZR Chief Rugby Officer Nigel Cass praised Winiata on her selection, “This is a fantastic achievement for Selica and one that she and her family should be very proud of. Selica clearly has a lot of talent and we know her work ethic, dedication and game understanding are all there. It’s a fantastic combination and we’re looking forward to watching her on the world stage.”
NZR National Referee Manager Bryce Lawrence said Winiata’s appointment highlighted the growth and opportunities in the women’s game. “Selica has earned this appointment and we’ve been impressed with how much she’s grown as a referee in such a short period of time. We’re committed to developing our female referees and giving them more opportunities and Selica’s really taken hers.
“It’s an exciting time to be involved in the women’s game as there’s so much growth. To have Selica showing women and girls what’s possible in rugby is brilliant.”
World Rugby’s Match Officials Selection Committee chair, Anthony Buchanan added, “We would like to congratulate Selica on her appointment to the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series tournaments in Dubai and Cape Town.
“Having playing experience at the highest level will be invaluable to her role as a match official on the world series and demonstrates the opportunities available for the development of both players and officials. We look forward to welcoming Selica to the team in Dubai.”
The HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series 2020 will feature eight women’s tournaments for the first time in history, with six of those combined with men’s events. As the first combined tournament of the season, Dubai will be celebrating its 50th anniversary this year while Cape Town will host its inaugural women’s world series competition.
