Irish rugby fans are well used to seeing Hollie Davidson as the woman in the middle but this Saturday marks a new altitude for a referee who has crashed through the glass ceiling.
Her appearance as referee for Ulster v Cardiff two weeks ago marked her 26th URC game in charge, while she was also on the line for Munster’s fateful Champions Cup defeat to Castres in January.
The 33-year-old Scot returns to Irish shores this weekend, making more history as she becomes the first female referee to take charge of a men’s Six Nations game when she blows the whistle at 2.10pm in Dublin to signal the start of Ireland v Italy.
It’s been a hard road for the former Scotland Under-20 international, who only missed out…