Holly Wood talks about refereeing, bumps, babies and attracting elite players into picking up the whistle

Today, we're joined by Holly Wood, Rugby World Cup 2025 match official and referee across the men's and women's leagues here in England.

This weekend (28 June 2026), she will referee the PWR Final between Saracens Women and Trailfinders Women - just 10 weeks or so post-partum.

In this episode, recorded just days before baby #2 joined the world, we chat about her elite performance background, her route into refereeing, her first pregnancy journey and the legacy from that process for other female referees around the country.

We also chat about an initiative she has spearheaded attracting new referees from the elite female playing community.

Resources mentioned:

RFU Match Official Maternity guidanceHigh Performance Referee Scholarship with PWR

If you have any comments about this episode, or suggestions for future shows, then drop me a line at ref@rugbyreferee.net!

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