Hollie Davidson to referee world champion Springboks this summer

EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND - DECEMBER 30: Official Hollie Davidson during a BKT United Rugby Championship match between Edinburgh and Glasgow Warriors at BT Murrayfield, on December 30, 2022 in Edinburgh, Scotland. (Photo by Ross Parker / SNS Group)

Davidson will be joined by Mike Adamson as assistant referee and Andrew McMenemy as TMO for the game in Bloemfontein.

The match will mark another major milestone in Davidson’s career which saw her make history earlier this year, becoming the first female to be part of the officiating team in a Guinness Men’s Six Nations fixture, as an assistant referee in England’s win over Wales at Twickenham.

In 2022 she also became the first woman to referee a men’s Six Nations team when Italy played Portugal.

Prior to the upcoming match in South Africa, Davidson will referee Canada v Romania at TD Place, Ottawa, a week after Scotland play the Canadians at the same venue. Hollie has also been appointed as referee for a September 7 Pacific Nations Cup tie between Japan and USA, a game for which Sam Grove-White will be an assistant referee, and the pair will be part of the match officials team for that competition’s semi-final fixtures.

Additionally, on Saturday 6 July, Mike Adamson will be the assistant referee for South Africa v Ireland.

Hollie Davidson said: “To referee the World Champions in their home stadium will be a massive occasion for not only myself but all of the refereeing team and it’s something to look forward to.

“I have enjoyed and learned a lot from the high profile matches I’ve been involved in, especially in the Guinness Six Nations and URC this year.

“I want to continue to progress and I’m excited about the matches I’ll be involved in as the club season draws to a close before looking ahead to the international games in the summer.”

Andrew Macpherson, Scottish Rugby’s High Performance Match Official Manager, said: “Hollie’s appointments are a real credit to the work she’s put in not just recently but throughout her career.

“She is a trailblazer for not just women’s refereeing but refereeing as a whole in Scotland. To referee the World Champions will be an amazing experience and another landmark moment which will continue her development going forward.

“It is an exciting summer of fixtures on the horizon and having five match officials involved across men’s internationals and under-20s is a great achievement.

“To have so many officials consistently involved at the top level demonstrates the talent we have here in Scotland and I hope others are inspired by their achievements and we continue to have a presence on the world stage for years to come.”

Today, the World Rugby U20 Championship 2024 officials were also named. Sam Grove-White will referee during the tournament, which will take place between 29 June and 19 July in South Africa, whilst Mike Adamson and Andrew McMenemy will be involved as TMOs.

At the World Rugby U20 Trophy 2024, which will take place at Hive Stadium this July, Ru Campbell will referee matches during the tournament.

Men’s Internationals (Scottish officials’ involvement):

Saturday 6 July: South Africa v Ireland, Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria

Referee: Angus Gardner (RA)

Assistant Referees: Karl Dickson (RFU), Mike Adamson (SRU)

TMO: Ben Whitehouse (WRU)

Friday 12 July: Canada v Romania, TD Place, Ottawa

Referee: Hollie Davidson (SRU)

Assistant Referees: Kat Roche (USA), Luke Rogan (USA)

Saturday 20 July: South Africa v Portugal, Toyota Stadium Bloemfontein

Referee: Hollie Davidson (SRU)

Assistant Referees: Craig Evans (WRU), Mike Adamson (SRU)