Maggie Cogger-Orr And Natarsha Ganley Among Elite Officials For Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025

Referees Maggie Cogger-Orr and Natarsha Ganley have achieved a great milestone after being selected as Match Officials panel for this year's Women's Rugby World Cup, set to kick off in England this August. 

A total of 22 match officials (10 referees, six assistant referees, and six television match officials) representing 12 nations with 351 test appearances between them will take charge of the 32 matches from 22 August-27 September.

In 2023 Cogger-Orr was appointed as NZ Rugby's women’s referee development manager in an effort to increase women’s referee opportunities across the country. She also officiated the 2022 World Cup in New Zealand.

"To be part of one that's in England, back to sort of the home of rugby, and by all accounts is gonna be the biggest Women's Rugby World Cup ever, is really exciting," said Maggie Cogger-Orr in a press conference.

Natarsha Ganley was excited for being among and selected with four most-capped female referees in test history, with others in the selected panel having been involved in the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2021 in New Zealand.

"I'm feeling immense gratitude to be chosen alongside some of the most capped female referees in the game - Sara Cox (England), Aimee Barrett-Theron (South Africa), Hollie Davidson (Scotland) and Aurélie Groizeleau (France). These are people that are legends of the refereeing space and legends of women's rugby in their own right," Natarsha Ganley said in a press conference.

The other referees selected were Aimee Barrett-Theron (South Africa), Sara Cox (England), Hollie Davidson (Scotland), Ella Goldsmith (Australia), Aurélie Groizeleau (France), Lauren Jenner (Italy), Clara Munarini (Italy), and Kat Roche (USA). 

This will be a fifth Women’s Rugby World Cup for Cox, the English official having been an assistant referee in 2010 and 2014 and a referee in 2017 and 2021.