Podcast: Hollie Davidson – smashing refereeing ceilings

Today, I’m joined by Hollie Davidson in a different type of interview. Different, because the questions were asked by someone else! 

This is the audio of a longer interview conducted by Laura-Jane Jones for TNT Sport in November last year, but made available for other media outlets. 

Having listened to it all recently, it’s full of gold! And with kind permission from Laura-Jane, TNT and of course, Hollie herself, here’s the edit I’ve created for you to listen to.

This weekend, Hollie will break the ceiling, cracked by the raised whistles of so many female referees who have gone before her, as she takes charge of the Ireland v Italy, Guinness Men’s Six Nations – the first female to officiate in that elite competition.

Areas covered

• Off-field Hollie -How having non-rugby hobbies is so important
• The switch from women’s to men’s
• Being only female in men’s camp
• Knowing what a red card feels like – and learning from those feelings
• Her team around her – growing together and those who went before
• Her lead up to the Wales v NZ in November
• The benefit of being a female in the men’s space
• Referees being in the room around rugby conversations at World Rugby level
• Player turned referee
• Trolls and how it feels to be a ref under the microscope
• The future – post-refereeing, but also the near future with RWC 2027 on the horizon

If you missed the last episode with Tarsh Ganley, then you can listen here