History-making officials to take charge of European finals

Scotland’s Hollie Davidson and Georgia’s Nika Amashukeli have been chosen to referee the EPCR Challenge Cup and Champions Cup finals, respectively, at the Principality Stadium, on the weekend of May 23-24.

It is the first time that either official has refereed an EPCR final, with 32-year-old Davidson becoming the first female to do so when she takes charge of Bath’s match against Lyon OU the night before Amashukeli oversees the Champions Cup showpiece match between Bordeaux-Begles and Northampton.

This is another milestone for the Georgian referee, who was recently selected to officiate the third and final British & Irish Lions Test against Australia in August, in what will be his 30th Test match and first Lions appointment.

Edinburgh native Davidson is also used to breaking new ground, having become the first female assistant referee for a men’s Six Nations match when she ran touch in the England vs Wales match in February 2024.

Both English teams have had matches refereed by those officials in Europe this season, with Davidson in the middle for Bath’s Round of 16 win over Pau and Amashukeli being the whistle blower for Northampton’s tense 34-32 win over Munster in January.

Dominic McKay, EPCR Chairman, said: “I’m delighted to congratulate Hollie and Nika on their appointments as referees for the EPCR Challenge Cup and Investec Champions Cup Finals, and extend that congratulations to their teams of four.

“EPCR maintains world-class standards with our Match Officials, selected by Tony Spreadbury and the union selectors, and I’d like to extend my thanks to Tony and his team for their work over the whole season to ensure every EPCR match is managed professionally and to an exceptional standard.”