Six Nations 2026: Who is Ireland vs Italy referee Hollie Davidson? First woman to referee men's Six Nations match as showdown in Dublin begins
Ireland are currently hosting Italy at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, but while rugby fans will be enjoying the match they may notice a history-making appointment on the pitch.
Hollie Davidson was named as the head referee for the men’s Six Nations 2026 second round fixture in Dublin, marking the first ever time a female official has taken charge of a game in the tournament.
As action continues in Dublin, here’s everything you need to know about Hollie Davidson.
Who is Hollie Davidson?
Hollie Davidson is a Scottish rugby referee who received her Scotland referee cap in February 2025.
Davidson previously played professionally for the women’s Scotland U20s team and played for amateur teams Murrayfield Wanderers and Edinburgh UNiversity RFC. She had been due to receive her first senior cap for Scotland in 2012, but dislocated her shoulder a week before her first appearance.
She moved into refereeing in 2015, joining a refereeing course. Davidson became Scottish Rugby Union’s first-ever full-time professional women’s referee in 2017. She went on to officiate over fixture in competitions such as the Women’s Sevens Series, Commonwealth Games, Rugby World Cup Sevens, Olympic Games.
Davidson was also the referee for the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 final between Canada and England.
Speaking about her launching a career in refereeing, Davidson told The Irish Times: “At the beginning, the big thing was, always, physically can she do it? Will she be able to keep up with the men’s game? What happens if she gets knocked over? Is her rugby knowledge there? How will players and fans react to her? That sexism is still there at points, but people now just want to see a game being well refereed.”
Her appointment to the Ireland vs Italy match in this year’s Six Nations tournament marks the first time ever that a female referee has officiated a men’s Six Nations match.
Davidson told The Irish Times: “I was at home and I got a phone call from Joël Jutge, the referees’ manager. We spoke about the Tests I’d done and I thought he was saying they were going to put me back as an assistant referee. But he said: ‘Okay, I’ll share some news with you.’ There was a pause.
“Then he said: ‘You will be refereeing in the men’s Six Nations.’ An absolute wave of relief turned to excitement. He told me I’m doing Ireland versus Italy on 14 February and I said, ‘That’s absolutely fantastic.’ But it still had to be announced so I couldn’t tell anybody. I had to keep schtum for a week and a half.”