Sara Cox is adamant this is just the beginning. While she bashfully acknowledges that becoming the first female referee to take charge of a half century of tests is a serious achievement, what really makes her smile is the significance this has for the sport she loves.
"When I first started, you got one, maybe two games every year, if you were really lucky, but it wasn't the norm to be appointed. To see that change and actually start to see the norm of people picking up three, four, five games a year, I think is testament to where the game is going," Cox said, ahead of hitting her historic milestone.
"So, hopefully my 50th will be surpassed very quickly and it will go on to actually turn into 100 and beyond. I think that's where the game is moving at the moment."
'It's night and day'
Things have changed immeasurably since Cox officiated at her first Women's Rugby World Cup 15 years ago.
"In 2010, it was two fields in Surrey Sports Park with temporary stands in the middle of it and not a lot of people around," she said with a smile. "I don't even think it's comparable anymore. It's so far gone from what it was (in 2010), even from the last World Cup, it's night and day.
"They're the perfect stadiums (at RWC 2025). They're well chosen. They've got the perfect amount of people in. There's a good engagement and there's a lovely buzz around everything."
This sense of community, with her fellow officials, the players and the fans, is clearly what has driven this popular figure to become one of just four English referees and 16 people worldwide, to reach 50 not out.
'She's been amazing'
Cox's colleagues are unequivocal as to the impact such achievements have had.
"She's a pioneer," Joy Neville, herself a barrier-busting former Irish official, said simply. "She is the first female face to be seen around the Premiership and men's competitions in England and internationally and someone that I think a lot of referees looked up to considering the challenges that she had had to face, particularly back in 2013, 2014. At that point, I think she was contracted for maybe a year or two."
Job security is certainly something Cox never foresaw in those early days. The fact she helped drive that change is something Australian referee Ella Goldsmith is forever grateful for.
"She is really paving the way and showing us that those opportunities are there for us as well to strive and hit 50 one day," Goldsmith, a fellow RWC 2025 official, said. "She has been amazing since I joined the group.
"I have learned so much from her in so many small moments."
'Authentically herself'
Cox's personality, on and off the pitch, has made her into the totemic figure she has become. For South African Aimee Barrett-Theron, who took charge of England v USA, the opening match of RWC 2025, it is her "incredible confidence" and "commanding presence" that stands out.
While for Maggie Cogger-Orr of New Zealand, it is the example she has set.
"She was one of the first people I watched and really felt they were being their authentic self," the RWC 2025 official said. "That was really inspiring to me, and I think that is why she has been a fixture in world refereeing for so long, because she is authentically herself the whole time."
Come 12:00 on Sunday, Cox will no doubt push all these thoughts to one side and focus on what she is so good at. Although, she might permit herself a tiny smile when the 80 minutes are up.
"It feels pretty good to hit this milestone," Cox admitted. "I didn't expect it to come when it has, so for it to happen in the World Cup is great."
