What happens when an Iraq war veteran, a sex worker treater in Kenya, a Muay Thai fighter and a decorated referee walk into a bar? They take a table for one.
Dr Rachel Horton is the embodiment of saying yes to anything as the English-born Australian referee turns her attention to her latest dream: to become a TMO at the Women’s Rugby World Cup.
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Horton is one of three Australians selected for the event in England, set to be a part of the officiating team for the opening game between England and the USA.
It’s another stellar accomplishment for Horton who has a career resume that many could only dream about.
“It was quite overwhelming because I had convinced myself it wasn't happening so when I got the call, I was quite teary,” she told Rugby.com.au.
“I was refereeing eight and a bit years ago when World Cup selections were on so I reffed a Six Nations game and then I didn't get selected as an on-field ref for that World Cup and I never sort of expected to be able to get a second opportunity to go to the World Cup.”
Before venturing into refereeing, Horton’s journey in Rugby started in her native England, signing up for the Officer Training Corps while at university as a way to continue playing.
At the time, she was halfway through her PhD in microbiology and immunology when duty called in Iraq, prompting her to join the British Army in June 2003, three months after the initial invasion.
“I actually first got interested in the Army because I realised that if you joined the Army, they would support you in the sport, whatever sport that was,” she said. “I was going into science, which doesn't have a career directly in the Army, but I joined the Reserves when I was at university and thought ‘that's great I can follow my scientific career while being in the Reserves and playing rugby for the Army.
“Halfway through my PhD, I got mobilised to go to Iraq.”
Horton would rise to the title of Captain, staying in the region until the end of the year.
“It's really cliche to say it's life changing, but it is,” she admits. “It gives you a completely different perspective on things, on other cultures, on other situations that might be going on.
“It gives you a different perspective on what you see reported in the news because you are front and centre of that and you see how some things are reported but how you're experiencing them. It's an entirely different lifestyle, obviously, different stakes.
“It's not something that I would ever wish anyone had to do, but people do and it was a really, really valuable experience.”
From here, Horton’s focus turned to her scientific career, beginning her work on her post-doctorate on the treatment of HIV in sex workers.
“There is a cohort of sex workers in Nairobi, which is the reason for spending time out there but around about 10% of the population are classified as epidemiologically resistant to HIV,” she explained.
“I was looking at cervical antibodies in those ladies to see if there was any difference in the cervical immune response in terms of antibodies to those who were resistant to HIV, those who had seroconverted and were HIV positive and those were at different stages of that journey.”
It once again brought a blending of Horton’s loves as the Rugby-mad Kenya embraced Horton throughout her stints whilst returning to Canada, where she was doing her studies.
“I love Nairobi and Kenya. I played a bit of touch rugby on the weekends with the local rugby club and they have the Safari Sevens over there. So I was out there for the Safari Sevens one year, which is wild,” she added.
“They are so passionate and so excited. They're a country that loves singing and dancing and celebrating, getting around the rugby is a real sort of festival atmosphere as well. It's great.”
It was there that Horton found herself taking up the sport of Muay Thai, eventually building a record of 9-1-1 as she moved to Australia close to 18 years ago.
“There was a gym above the coffee shop and the girl on reception said they have classes and I was like ‘Oh, probably aerobics, something like that’ and by the time I turned up and there's all these ripped guys in the Muay Thai shorts walking in, I'm like ‘this is definitely not aerobics’ but I am too proud to walk out of this. So I'll stay,” Horton admits.
“I started fighting and it was not so long after I moved to the Gold Coast, lots of Muay Thai on the Gold Coast.”
Since moving to Australia, Horton’s focus has been on teaching, serving as Principal at The Armidale School (TAS) and deputy headmaster at Brighton Grammar School in Victoria.
However, the itch of getting involved in Rugby still burned as bright as any of her past endeavours, eventually quitting her job to focus on her push to make the World Cup and finding herself on the Sevens circuit.
“I just absolutely throw myself into rugby and see if I could get selected for the World Cup so hooray that paid off,” she said and laughed.
“Before I resigned as well, I got a call from Patty O'Brien, who asked me, 'Don't you suppose you'd be keen and free to join us on the Sevens' which worked perfectly, happy days.”
Horton is committed to going back to teaching whilst studying law online at Macquarie as another feather to her ever-growing cap.
But for the time being, the focus sits in England with the Match Officials, serving as the Foul Play Review Officer for the first week before moving into the TMO box for four games during the pool stages.
Horton is one of the three Australian officials at the World Cup alongside Ella Goldsmith and Jess Ling.
“ I think we were all nervous for what if one or two of us make it and the three of us don't make it and I live pretty close to Jess at the moment and I’m Jess’ coach this year as well. So I was invested as her coach,” she added.
“I don't think I had a plan for what was going to happen if one of us was going and the other wasn’t, because to be super excited for someone but devastated for yourself is always the hard thing. So it's incredible to go with Ella and Jess and one in every group; a ref, an AR, and a TMO."
With everything that’s gone on within Horton’s life, she’s ready for the big moments.
