Nick Inwood is going places as a rugby referee.
The former New Zealand international has been selected to the International Rugby Board's (IRB) first women's referee panel and appointed to control two matches in the women's Six Nations championship.
Inwood is the only New Zealander among eight women worldwide selected for the panel.
Her first Six Nations appearance is for Italy's match against France on Monday (NZT), which will mark her 50th first-class match as a referee.
She has also been appointed to referee Scotland's test against Italy at Edinburgh on March 19, and she is the only panel member to be assigned more than one Six Nations match.
New Zealand Rugby Union high performance referees coach Colin Hawke said Inwood's achievement was reward for her hard work and dedication to refereeing.
"Nicky is one of those rare players who has moved successfully into international refereeing. She is a wonderful example of how anyone can continue to be involved in rugby at the highest level, after they retire from playing," Hawke said.
Christchurch-based Inwood has been a referee for 12 years and has attended four World Cup tournaments -- three times as a referee in 2002, 2006 and 2010, and once as a Black Fern in 1991.
She said she hoped to encourage others to consider taking up refereeing.
"It's always lovely to be able represent your country and it's great to be able to get this exposure at an international level," said Inwood, who has refereed 17 international fixtures.
"It does show that there is a pathway to get to the elite level and that pathway is further improved with the IRB establishing this new panel, giving us an opportunity at this highest level," she said.
