Starting refereeing as a 16-year-old at Kamo High School, Ganley continued to follow her passion for about 14 years before being contracted by New Zealand Rugby. Since then she has notched up a few firsts for female referees in New Zealand and only three other women have refereed as many first-class games as her. At the end of April, she will head to Scotland to referee in the last round of the Women’s Six Nations Championship, in a match between Scotland and Ireland. Ganley is expecting a fair amount of rivalry between the teams in that game too, likening it to a match between Australia and New Zealand, albeit “a slower, more forward-dominated one” as Northern Hemisphere matches tend to be, she said. If the unbeaten nib Blues win Saturday’s match, they will lock in a home final, as the team look to defend the Aupiki title they won last year. Standing in their way are the fired-up Matatū side, whose only loss this season came at the hands of the nib Blues earlier this month. Head coach for the nib Blues, Willie Walker, said he will be looking for a strong performance from his team come Saturday. “We’re pleased with the season so far but there are a few critical areas we want to improve on,” said Walker. “Matatū is a good team, it was a really physical encounter when we played them in Nelson earlier this month and we’re expecting another tough match on Saturday.” Walker is encouraging the community to come and enjoy a great game of rugby. “We know that Northlanders love their rugby. The weather’s looking beautiful for Saturday and many of the best rugby players in New Zealand will be in action so we’d love the community to come down and support us.” Children’s tickets are available from $5 each with adults tickets from $15. Kickoff is at 2.05pm. Box office and gates open at 12.30pm. Sarah Curtis is a general news reporter for the Northern Advocate. She has nearly 20 years’ experience in journalism, most spent court reporting in Gisborne and on the East Coast. She is passionate about covering stories that make a difference, especially those involving environmental issues.