Her family members have also been targeted
Hollie Davidson(Image: ©INPHO)
Ireland face Italy at the Aviva Stadium this afternoon in the second round of the Six Nations.
The hosts come into this match smarting from their opening-night defeat to France in Paris. Andy Farrell’s side were outplayed by Les Bleus in the French capital, with France sending an ominous warning to their rivals that they’re serious contenders this year.
Italy, meanwhile, arrive in Dublin with confidence high after their morale-boosting victory over Scotland.
A piece of Six Nations history is also being made at the Aviva Stadium, reports Wales Online. Scottish referee Hollie Davidson is the first woman to officiate a men’s Six Nations match.
The 33-year-old Davidson, who hails from Aberdeenshire, played as a scrum-half during her career after being inspired to pick up the sport by her father.
She earned selection for Scotland’s U20s in 2010 and subsequently the senior squad, though a dislocated shoulder prevented her from winning a cap.
Davidson studied economic history at the University of Edinburgh before joining banking giant JP Morgan following graduation. She began her journey into officiating back in 2015, eventually taking charge of her first men’s match six years later.
According to Rugby World, she accepted a 50 per cent salary reduction to chase her rugby ambitions. Sadly, she disclosed in a Guardian interview that harassment has been a persistent issue throughout her career.
“The stuff shouted from the sidelines was ridiculous,” she said. “It was all about where I should be instead of a pitch or that I should be doing other things with my Saturday than refereeing a game. All the classics.
“There would be indications of where I should go after the game for players to do whatever they wanted with me.”
Despite facing doubters, Davidson continued to progress in her refereeing journey, earning significant recognition along the way. She took charge of her first men’s fixture in 2021, yet has continued to face abuse from critics, even after establishing herself as a respected official at the highest level.
Following last season’s European Challenge final between Bath and Lyon in Cardiff, online trolls launched savage attacks, with her family members also being targeted.
“I made a wrong call on a head contact and my name was being pulled through the mud and then my family received abuse,” she added. “It really challenged me when I thought I was causing my family pain.
“You have to accept this is part and parcel of our job. But I hope we don’t get to a point where the only people left at the top are the people that can hack it. Because then we don’t have the best officials, we just have the people with thicker skins.”
However, she recognises that abuse and difficult experiences were also prevalent in women’s rugby.
Looking back on a Women’s Six Nations fixture between France and England in Bayonne in 2022, she remembered: “I prepped the same and went into the game physically feeling really good. But I missed a penalty try against England and a simple yellow card.
“Those two big decisions went against France. I wasn’t on the money and I received a lot of abuse and hatred. It was a tough time to say: ‘How do I pick myself up? When I’d done all my preparation in the same way, why did it not go well for me?'”.
“We were escorted off the pitch, we had stuff thrown at us and were spat on.”
She continued: “You either decide: ‘This isn’t for me, bye-bye,’ or you say: ‘OK, I want to be at the top end. There are certain things I have to accept and certain growth areas that I need to be better at.’ I took that choice.”
Davidson confessed she felt a surge of excitement upon learning she would be officiating a men’s Six Nations fixture this year. “I was at home and I got a phone call from Joël Jutge, the referees’ manager,” she shared.
“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: ‘OK, 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 stumm for a week and a half.”