Female rugby union trailblazers are aiming high – on and off the pitch

The World Cup in New Zealand does not just offer players and coaches an opportunity to shine. For fast-rising, ambitious referees such as Scotland’s Hollie Davidson it is also a chance to show that female officials are every bit as capable as their male counterparts and should be appointed to men’s World Cup fixtures sooner rather than later.

The 30-year-old made history in June when she took charge of Portugal v Italy, the first woman to referee a men’s Six Nations team in a Test. “It did feel huge at the time. The nerves and stress going into it were quite high. But I look back on it really fondly.

“The guys still challenged as hard as they would have done if it had been a male counterpart. If they weren’t happy with decisions they definitely told you. When we’re being treated exactly the same is when we’re making real progress.”

An economic history graduate from Edinburgh University, who has also worked in banking, she did not duck some tricky decisions in Lisbon. “In a game like that you want to stay under the radar but I ended up giving two penalty tries and four yellow cards.”

The experience has intensified her desire for more high-profile men’s appointments. “I’d love to make it into the Champions Cup in the next couple of years. After that? You never know. But I’d love to be able to referee a Tier 1 v Tier 1 game, whether in the Six Nations or not. That would be unbelievable and would leave a real legacy.”

For Davidson – and, among others, Ireland’s Joy Neville and England’s Sara Cox – being chosen to referee next month’s World Cup final in Auckland would be a further step towards more widespread recognition in the men’s game. “I suppose the only thing that would stop me would be the physical side of things. No