Hollie Davidson to referee Springboks v Portugal

History will be made in more than one way when the Springboks meet Portugal for the first time in a Test in Bloemfontein in July. The match will be refereed by Hollie Davidson, the first woman to take charge of a Test involving the Springboks.

The appointment of Scotland’s Davidson was announced by World Rugby on Tuesday, along with the match officials for all the June and July internationals.

Chris Busby from Ireland will be the man in the middle when the Boks kick off their 2024 season against Wales at Twickenham in London on 22 June, while Australia’s Angus Gardner and Karl Dickson from England have been appointed to referee the Boks’ two Tests against Ireland in Pretoria and Durban respectively.

South Africa’s AJ Jacobs has been appointed to referee the Test between Namibia and Portugal in Windhoek, where Griffin Colby is one of the assistant referees, a week before the Boks take on the Portuguese in Bloemfontein.

Three South African television match officials will also be in action during the mid-year Tests. They are Marius van der Westhuizen, Quinton Immelman and Marius Jonker.