Hollie Davidson receives World Rugby Referee Award

NORTHAMPTON, ENGLAND - AUGUST 24: Referee Hollie Davidson gestures during the Women's Rugby World Cup 2025 Pool D match between South Africa and Brazil at Franklin's Gardens on August 24, 2025 in Northampton, England. (Photo by Morgan Harlow - World Rugby/World Rugby via Getty Images)

Only days out from refereeing the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 final, Scotland’s Hollie Davidson has been presented with the World Rugby Referee Award in partnership with Emirates at the Women’s Rugby Global Summit in London on Thursday.

Davidson is the second Scottish official after Jim Fleming to receive the accolade, which recognises international men’s and women’s referees, in sevens or 15s, who have made a significant contribution to the game of rugby.

She is the third female recipient, following in the footsteps of Alhambra Nievas – who shared the award in 2016 with fellow Olympic Games gold medal match referee Rasta Rasivhenge – and Joy Neville, the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2017 final referee.

Davidson has been a trailblazer for female match officials in recent years, continually setting first after first as one of the most experienced referees in the game with more than a quarter of her 46 matches in the middle having come in the men’s test arena.

She was the first to referee a Men’s Six Nations team when she led an all-female team in Italy’s 38-31 win over Portugal in June 2022, before completing the Rugby World Cup final double in sevens and 15s only 62 days apart later that year.

In the last two years, Davidson has refereed a Rugby Championship team in world champions South Africa in July 2024 and a match involving a Men’s Six Nations and Rugby Championship team with the Springboks’ test with Italy this July.

Davidson also became the first female assistant referee in both the Men’s Six Nations and Rugby Championship in 2024, the first to referee at the World Rugby U20 Championship that year and more recently took charge of the European Rugby Challenge Cup final between Bath and Lyon in May.

This weekend Davidson will add another first when she takes charge of her second Women’s Rugby World Cup final before a sold-out Allianz Stadium, the first female to achieve the feat and only the third in history with South Africa’s Andre Watson refereeing the men’s Rugby World Cup final in 1999 and 2003 and Ed Morrison of England with the men’s title decider in 1995 and the women’s final in 1998.

Andrew Macpherson, Scottish Rugby’s High Performance Match Official Manager, said: “On behalf of everyone at Scottish Rugby, I want to say a massive congratulations to Hollie on receiving this recognition. She has been a genuine trailblazer, continually pushing boundaries and paving the way for women in refereeing.

“Her outstanding accomplishments on the world’s biggest stages have raised the bar and inspired new people – especially women – to pick up the whistle. I am so proud all she has achieved, and we’ll look forward to seeing her take charge in the Women’s Rugby World Cup Final this Saturday.”