South African referee Aimee Barrett-Theron will become just the third woman to officiate a Vodacom United Rugby Championship match when she makes her debut in the league this weekend.

The former Springbok Women’s player has been appointed to take charge of the round-four clash between Italian side Benetton and Ospreys of Wales in Treviso on Saturday, 16 October.

Though Barrett-Theron is the first female to referee in the inaugural URC, she follows Scotland’s Hollie Davidson and Ireland’s Joy Neville who both handled matches in the competition’s predecessor, the PRO14.

Having made her Test debut in 2016, Barrett-Theron has also officiated in the Women’s Six Nations and earned a place on the match official panel at the 2017 World Cup in Ireland.

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