Belinda Sleeman set to become Rugby League World Cup's first female official
Super League Grand Final referee also among 26 officials chosen for World Cup
Tuesday 10 October 2017 10:56, UK
Belinda Sleeman is set to become the first woman to officiate at the Rugby League World Cup.
Sleeman, a match official in Australia's NRL, is one of 26 officials selected for the tournament, which begins in Melbourne on October 27 when Australia play England.
In September, Sleeman and Kasey Badger were named as match officials for the NRL decider between Manly and Penrith - she was also a touch judge when Fiji faced Tonga in May.
James Child, who refereed his first Super League Grand Final on Saturday, will also be officiating at the World Cup, along with video referee Phil Bentham and touch judges Mark Craven and Chris Kendall.
Chosen by head of officiating Tony Archer and the Rugby Football League's Steve Ganson, the squad is drawn entirely from the NRL and Super League for the first time.
The RFL representatives also include Ben Thaler, Robert Hicks, Scott Mikalauskas and Liam Moore, as well as former Super League officials Tim Roby and Ashley Klein, who now referee in the NRL.
"This is an historical tournament in which all match officials qualified by officiating in either the NRL or Super League competitions," Archer said.
"We have the Grand Final officials from each competition and there is a wealth of international and representative depth in the squad."
Archer, who said performances during the tournament would determine the appointment for the final in Brisbane on December 2, confirmed that international rules would be used.
That means one referee, as opposed to two in the NRL, and an in-goal video referral system. There will also be no shot clock for scrums and goal-line drop-outs but there will be a seventh tackle from the 20-metre re-start if the ball is kicked dead and a tap re-start from a 40-20 kick.
The 'Golden Point' will only be used in finals matches.
