Kasey Badger becomes first woman to referee a men's Rugby League World Cup match

Kasey Badger made history by becoming the first woman to referee a men's World Cup match

History was made on Monday night as Kasey Badger became the first woman to referee a men's Rugby League World Cup match.

Badger was in charge as Tonga overcame stern resistance from Wales to win 32-6 in front of a bumper 7,752 crowd in St Helens and remain on course for a potential quarter-final showdown with Samoa.

Badger is one of two women named among the officials for the competition, alongside Australian compatriot Belinda Sharpe.

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Jodie Cunningham on Kasey Badger becoming the first ref to officiate a men’s World Cup match and what success looks like for the women’s World Cup.

Speaking before the match, Badger, who was referee for the NRLW Grand Final between Parramatta Eels and Newcastle Knights, said: "Any time something like this comes along, you carry with it the sense of taking the game forward. In this case, the sense of officiating for females.

"Hopefully this will boost the interest of people joining the refereeing ranks, specifically women. This shows there are genuine opportunities for women to progress to the world stage.

"Young girls could see this and think, 'I want to give that a crack.' It's not something I expected. I was thinking maybe I'd be a touch judge in the men's competition and referee in the women's."

Wales coach John Kear and his counterpart Kristian Woolf both praised Badger's performance.

Badger hopes to inspire the next generation of young women hoping to take up officiating

"I though Kasey did a great job," Kear said. "It's important for rugby league to take that step forward."

Woolf added: "It was a great opportunity for her.

"It is a big occasion and she's obviously done a great job in the NRL. She had a great opportunity there and she's had a great opportunity tonight. It was great to see."

Badger's husband Gavin - an experienced NRL referee - made a round-the-world trip to see her in action at the Totally Wicked Stadium.

She said before the game: "Gavin was the first person I rang. It was nearly midnight in Australia, so I messaged him asking, 'Are you still awake?'

The Australian was praised for her performance by both coaches

"He thought it was the best thing he'd ever heard and said straight away, 'I'm coming over.' He was straight on the phone looking at flights. He landed yesterday but it'll be special to have him at the ground."

International Rugby League boss Troy Grant said: "On behalf of the IRL board, I congratulate Kasey Badger on her historic and well deserved appointment to the Wales-Tonga Test match.

"Kasey is helping to create history and a lasting legacy for not only women in league, but rugby league as a whole."

Wales performed valiantly, taking the lead with Kyle Evans' 18th-minute try but the pace, power and class of the world N 2-ranked nation eventually took its toll as Tonga eventually ran out 32-6 winners.

Winger Daniel Tupou scored a hat-trick of tries on a satisfying night for Tonga's former St Helens coach Woolf.

Similarly stoic in their 18-12 defeat by Cook Islands, Wales must now rally against Papua New Guinea in their final Group D fixture if they are gain a first World Cup win for 22 years.