XV de France appoints first female referee

The XV de France has announced that Hollie Davidson, a Scottish referee, will be the first woman to officiate a match for the French national rugby team in the Six Nations Championship. She will referee the France-Argentina match on 21 November, marking a historic milestone for the team.

Referees for upcoming matches named

The referees for the three upcoming matches have been identified. Karl Dickson, an English referee, will oversee the France-Fiji match on 7 November, while Italian referee Andrea Piardi will officiate the France-South Africa game on 13 November.

Hollie Davidson's achievements highlighted

Hollie Davidson, a 34-year-old Scottish referee, has been recognized as one of the top referees in the world. She was named best referee of the year in 2025 by World Rugby and became the first woman to officiate in the Top 14 in April 2024 during a Clermont-Lyon match.

Davidson's upcoming assignments

Davidson will also referee the Challenge Cup final in 2025, which was lost by the LOU against Both. She recently officiated a significant match in the Champions Cup between Toulouse and Exeter, where she excluded the French international Rodrigue Neti.

France-Argentina match details

Davidson will referee the France-Argentina match at the Stade de France in less than a month, where she will face notable French players such as Antoine Dupont and Romain Ntamack.