Murray – who referees on the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series for women – spends a fair bit of time alone during lockdown as her fiancé, Quinten Pretorius, serves in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

As a result, she has decided to channel her energy into keeping fit and in shape to ease her return to the field when rugby resumes.

“I managed to load up on training equipment before lockdown, so I have dumbbells, and some other proper gym equipment at home,” said Murray.

“My skipping rope, in particular, has come in handy again, and I am also lucky enough to have a 30m driveway, so fortunately there is sufficient space to run, although I do miss road running.

“I have also taken up yoga, which has been good.”

With regular contact between the members of SA Rugby’s referee panels, Murray admits that her colleagues have provided extra inspiration to push herself in terms of her training.

“The High Performance Referees group has been great to keep us all motivated, as the referees send regular videos of themselves training and they use the platform to encourage one another,” Murray said.

“It will certainly contribute to an even tighter-knit referee team when we can all get back on the playing fields.”

From a personal perspective, Murray admits that roles have been reversed in her life due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It has been interesting at home with Quinten on the frontline to curb the spread of the COVID-19 outbreak,” said Murray.

“He is usually the one encouraging me to follow my dreams in refereeing and supporting me, but with him now working long shifts to ensure that the lockdown rules are adhered to and that everyone keeps safe and abides by the law, I have had to play that role recently.”

Murray commended the tremendous work those on the frontline are doing to reduce the spread of the virus, including police officers, the military, doctors and nurses, and said: “It is amazing to see the effort and work that is being put in on the forefront of the pandemic, and there are very few people who understand what those individuals are going through. It is really commendable.”