Taranaki continues its reputation of producing first-class rugby referees.
Former New Zealand and England sevens representative turned referee Warwick Lahmert and past Taranaki Whio Chloe Sampson are set to make their first-class debuts as referees during the upcoming Heartland Championship and Farah Palmer Cup competitions.
While Sampson made her official first-class debut in the World Rugby Challenger Series sevens tournament in Dubai this year, she will become the region’s 94th fifteens domestic referee and Taranaki’s maiden female to achieve the honour.
She will control Waikato v Bay of Plenty in the opening round of the Farah Palmer Cup on August 10 and has been appointed to other matches within the first few weeks of the competition.
“I’m super-excited to be able to make my first-class debut in the fifteens side of things,” she said. “I’m proud of how far I have come since deciding to stop playing at the end of the 2022 season with sneaking in a few games in 2023.”