One of the most-capped female referees in test history, Aurélie Groizeleau is the first woman to have a professional contract with the French Rugby Federation and the first from her country to have refereed at a World Cup.
With the Women’s Rugby World cup kicking off later this month the experts at ACME Whistles were able to grab an exclusive interview with Aurélie to find out more about life behind the whistle and the positive impact she’s having on women’s rugby.
“I’ve been refereeing for 15 years now since an injury led to me being unable to play anymore,” said Aurélie.
“I wanted to continue having an impact on the game so I decided to become a referee and have spent time working my way up through the ranks from regional rugby to Pro D2 – the second division of French Rugby Union.
“I’m only the second woman to have ever made this division in France so it’s a big achievement and shows young women what is possible within rugby.”
Aurélie believes that she is one of several female referees who is helping to open doors for other young women within the game, especially in France, saying: “Rugby is predominantly a man’s game and we need to change how people view women in this space.
“The career I have made for myself is helping to open doors for others to join me at the top and show them what’s possible.
“My role is not just as a referee, but through my federation I also work on developing young female players who are aged between 15 and 18. I encourage them to learn the laws because I believe it makes them better players.
“I want to be the change for young people in rugby because when I started I had no development and no action points to work on so my role is a big one, but it’s important and makes me really happy.
“The second part of my role is to teach female referees and I find this really grounding. As professional referees we can sometimes feel a bit removed from the ‘village’ that is amateur rugby with our TV appearances etc so it’s really rewarding to work with aspiring players and referees on their careers and it creates a good balance for me.”
When asked what she most wants to change within amateur rugby, Aurélie contemplated and said: “Currently the law in the under 15s category is that two boys can referee a boy’s game, but it has to be a coach and a referee who officiate any girl’s games.
“Next season I want to change that so it’s the same law for both male and female games and there will be two referees per game with the coach overseeing.
“There is a lot of protection of girls within rugby, but it’s not the solution and girls need to feel empowered so they can excel.”
Aurélie will be part of the strongest and most experienced match official team to have ever been selected for the Women’s Rugby World Cup and is looking forward to the competition for several reasons saying: “Everyone tells me it’s the best World Cup in history and England is definitely the country for women’s rugby because it’s so progressive.
“The stadiums will be full, with a lot of people also watching on TV and it’s the first time ever I’ve had a lot of contact from the media in France wanting to talk to me ahead of the World Cup – it’s great that people are so excited about it.”
It’s also the first time Aurélie’s parents will see her officiate an international game.
“It will be a special moment,” she said.
“I have dedicated so much to rugby and it has involved sacrifices for both me and my family so it means a lot to be able to share this positive experience with them. My partner and daughter will also be there – they come to a lot of my games.
“When I referee England and Australia in Brighton on 6th September 16 members of my family will be there so it’s very exciting.”
Another special moment within the competition will be at the Canda versus Fiji game when Aurélie will celebrate her 40th Test Match as a referee.
“That will be my first game within the World Cup,” she said.
“I have three games in the competition but this one will be special and I’m very proud.”
Reflecting on her career so far, Aurélie says how much she admires other female referees and that a career highlight was being an AR for Hollie Davidson at the last Women’s Rugby World Cup in 2021.
“It was the final and the stadium was packed with 42,000 people,” she said.
“The atmosphere was completely crazy with it being the final and it was the most incredible moment – the best experience in my career at that point for sure.
“Hollie’s the best and is really inspiring because she shows that it’s possible for women to exist in the men’s competitions. She’s a very good example for the refereeing community and the rugby world more generally of what you can achieve.”
In the past Aurélie has spoken about large competitions and big crowds having the potential to lead to criticism of referees.
“It’s still a bit this way,” she explains.
“We are still defending women’s rugby to a certain extent, but things like the Women’s World Cup have made some positive changes and I do get quite a lot of messages on social media telling me that I’m a good role model for women.
“In France it is still quite traditional though and we can sometimes get messages saying that we don’t belong on the rugby pitch.
“It seems difficult for some people to see beyond gender and just see a referee rather than a female referee and this needs to change. You can judge my performance, sure, but don’t judge me simply because I’m a woman.
“However, from the beginning of my career to now I have noticed a change for women generally as well as within rugby and this year we have 15% more women in rugby than ever before with this percentage increasing every year so it’s good.
“This year is the first time ever that the professional division women’s championship game will be aired on French TV so it’s a significant moment and will encourage more women to get involved in rugby.”
When asked is recent law changes, like the on mic law, have helped referees to explain their decision making, Aurélie agrees, saying: “It’s very important.
“Although it is strange for me because English isn’t my first language, it does enable me to explain my decisions to the spectators which can only be viewed as a good thing.”
Aurélie’s next career goal is to referee the Rugby World Cup in four years’ time.
“A woman in France has never refereed the first division so it’s a big challenge and will require a lot of preparation, but currently I am strong mentally and physically so my career is definitely not finished and I have some big aspirations over the coming years.”
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