Aimee Barrett-Theron, 1 of the world's starring pistillate referees, has stood down from officiating aft being diagnosed with bosom cancer.
The 39 year-old South African is the most-capped pistillate planetary referee aft taking complaint of 52 Tests.
"I've precocious been diagnosed with bosom cancer," she said successful a statement.
"The bully quality is that it's treatable, and I'm moving with an unthinkable squad of specialists who are afloat aligned with the extremity of getting maine steadfast and backmost connected the tract successful a fewer months' time."
Barrett-Theron, who has besides refereed successful the United Rugby Championship, past took to the tract successful complaint of South Africa A against Zimbabwe past month.
She discovered grounds of the illness done a "self-check" and encouraged others to bash the same.
In her statement, the Cape Town-born authoritative vowed to instrumentality to refereeing.
"Please fto this beryllium your reminder: cheque yourself, perceive to your body, and don't hold getting thing antithetic looked at," she added.
In 2024, Barrett-Theron made the headlines astatine the Under-20 Six Nations pursuing an altercation with England's Henry Pollock and a fig of Wales players.
Her chat with some captains, telling them "I'm not mad, I'm conscionable truly disappointed", won her a legion of fans.
Barrett-Theron was besides portion of the officiating squad for the Women's Rugby World Cup last betwixt England and Canada astatine Allianz Stadium past year.
Mark Alexander, president of the South African Rugby Union (SARU), said: "Aimee has been a resolute and focused trailblazer connected the tract and we cognize she volition attack her attraction with the aforesaid determination and single-mindedness.
"She has had to flooded many, galore barriers to scope the level of refereeing she has and we cognize she volition instrumentality this adjacent situation successful her stride. We privation her Godspeed successful her betterment and look guardant to seeing her backmost connected the tract astatine immoderate constituent successful the future."
English (US)·