Davidson to referee world champions Springboks

Scot Hollie Davidson will make history this summer as the first woman to referee a Test match involving men's world champions South Africa.

Davidson will officiate the Springboks' first-ever meeting with Portugal on 20 July in Bloemfontein.

It's another milestone for Davidson who this year became the first female to be part of the officiating team in a men's Six Nations match when she was an assistant referee for England against Wales at Twickenham.

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

Davidson will be joined in South Africa by fellow Scottish officials Mike Adamson and Andrew McMenemey as an assistant referee and TMO respectively.

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

Andrew Macpherson, Scottish Rugby’s high performance match official manager, hailed Davidson as a "trailblazer for not just women’s refereeing but refereeing as a whole in Scotland".