RWC Final appointment caps whirlwind year for Davidson

WHANGAREI, NEW ZEALAND - OCTOBER 29: Hollie Davidson referees during the Rugby World Cup 2021 Quarterfinal match between France and Italy at Northland Events Centre on October 29, 2022 in Whangarei, New Zealand. (Photo by Fiona Goodall - World Rugby/World Rugby via Getty Images)

The news comes after Saturday’s semi-finals which saw Canada beaten by England (19-26) and hosts New Zealand secure a single-point win against France (25-24).

The Aboyne-born referee thought she had “missed out” on any remaining officiating appointments altogether when her name wasn’t announced for the semi-final matches. She said: “When my name was read for the final, I couldn’t believe it.

“It’s a very proud moment to be appointed to referee the final. [It’s a] thing that you dream of, but you never know if they will come to fruition.”

2022 has been the gift that keeps on giving for Hollie and adding the 2021 Rugby World Cup Final to her already extensive list of achievements will be the icing on the cake.

“Back in September 2021, we set out a plan of how the year would look and what we wanted to achieve, and the end goal was to put myself in a position to referee the World Cup Final; to think it’s now happening is crazy.

“I’ve done my first Tier 1 men’s Test fixture, refereed the 7s World Cup Final and now to do the 15s World Cup final, I genuinely don’t think any year will ever live up to this one.”

Despite hitting another significant milestone of her career, Hollie is determined to not treat the upcoming game any differently. She said: “I’ll try and keep the week as normal as possible, and try to remember, it’s just a game of rugby!”

However, there is no doubt that this will be an achievement that Hollie will never forget.

“The excitement is there for sure, but I don’t think it will fully sink in until after the game is done. I’ll then be able to fully reflect and appreciate the achievement.”

See Hollie in action this Saturday 12 November 2022 when England take on New Zealand in the 2021 Rugby World Cup Final live on STV (kick-off 6.30am UK time).