Davidson to become first female to referee European final

Hollie Davidson will become the first female official to take charge of a European Professional Club Rugby final when she referees the Challenge Cup showpiece between Bath and Lyon on May 23 in Cardiff.

Georgian Nika Amashukeli, meanwhile, will control the following day’s Investec Champions Cup final – also at the Principality Stadium – with Northampton facing Bordeaux-Begles.

“European rugby is the pinnacle of the professional game, and to be named as the Challenge Cup final referee is something that I never thought was possible when I was starting out,” Davidson told Scottish Rugby.

“It has been a long time since a Scot has done a final, so I am just absolutely over the moon to be named as the referee for such a big game.”

It is the latest high-profile appointment for Davidson, who was part of on-pitch officiating teams in the 2024 and 2025 Six Nations and 2024 Rugby Championship.

She will become the first Scottish referee to take charge of an EPCR final since Jim Fleming, who officiated Bath’s 1998 Heineken Cup victory over Brive in Bordeaux.

Davidson will also take charge of the first Test between South Africa and Italy in Pretoria on July 5, and the non-cap game between an England XV and France XV two weeks earlier.

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