Whangārei’s Natarsha Ganley to referee Aupiki match as Blues face Matatū in Northland

NZ Rugby referee Natarsha Ganley will be in action on her hometown turf at Semenoff Stadium for the first time on Saturday. Photo / Supplied

Whangārei’s trail-blazing rugby referee Natarsha Ganley has officiated at 53 first-class games throughout New Zealand and overseas but this weekend will be her first on her hometown turf at Semenoff Stadium.

It is also the first time Northland has hosted the Sky Super Rugby Aupiki title.

Ganley will referee Saturday’s top-of-the-table clash between nib Blues and Matatū, with Northland local and nib Blues players Tara Turner, Kerri Johnson and Portia Woodman-Wickliffe all excited to impress in front of a home crowd.

The ref is excited about the game, which she said is bound to be a fast-moving and competitive one between the unbeaten North Island nibs Blues team and their southern rivals.

Ganley was also excited because it will be the first chance in her four-year professional career that so many of her family – about 15 of them – can get together on the sidelines to watch her live in action.

Starting refereeing as a 16-year-old at Kamo High School, Ganley continued to follow her passion for about 14 years before being contracted by New Zealand Rugby.

Since then she has notched up a few firsts for female referees in New Zealand and only three other women have refereed as many first-class games as her.

At the end of April, she will head to Scotland to referee in the last round of the Women’s Six Nations Championship, in a match between Scotland and Ireland.

Referee Natarsha Ganley consults with her touch judge after Wellington score a try in the 2023 Ranfurly Shield match with Horowhenua-Kapiti at Levin Domain. Photo / Paul Williams

Ganley is expecting a fair amount of rivalry between the teams in that game too, likening it to a match between Australia and New Zealand, albeit “a slower, more forward-dominated one” as Northern Hemisphere matches tend to be, she said.

If the unbeaten nib Blues win Saturday’s match, they will lock in a home final, as the team look to defend the Aupiki title they won last year.

Standing in their way are the fired-up Matatū side, whose only loss this season came at the hands of the nib Blues earlier this month.

Head coach for the nib Blues, Willie Walker, said he will be looking for a strong performance from his team come Saturday.

“We’re pleased with the season so far but there are a few critical areas we want to improve on,” said Walker.

“Matatū is a good team, it was a really physical encounter when we played them in Nelson earlier this month and we’re expecting another tough match on Saturday.”

Walker is encouraging the community to come and enjoy a great game of rugby.

“We know that Northlanders love their rugby. The weather’s looking beautiful for Saturday and many of the best rugby players in New Zealand will be in action so we’d love the community to come down and support us.”

Children’s tickets are available from $5 each with adults tickets from $15.

Kickoff is at 2.05pm. Box office and gates open at 12.30pm.

Sarah Curtis is a general news reporter for the Northern Advocate. She has nearly 20 years’ experience in journalism, most spent court reporting in Gisborne and on the East Coast. She is passionate about covering stories that make a difference, especially those involving environmental issues.