Holly Wood will referee her first Premiership Women’s Rugby Final on Sunday, just 86 days after giving birth to her second child, Adaline, on 3 April. She returned to refereeing only seven weeks postpartum, officiating a men's Division One County Cup game before her first PWR match during Big Pink Weekend at the end of May. Now, she will oversee the final between Saracens and Trailfinders Women at Twickenham Stoop.
Secrecy During World Cup
Wood kept her pregnancy a secret during the Rugby World Cup last year, officiating up to 20 weeks and continuing as an assistant until the end of her second trimester. “I found out I was pregnant three weeks before the World Cup,” she said. “During the World Cup, I wanted my selection, especially in the knockout stages, to be purely on my performance and not related to anything else that was going on externally.” She has officiated 33 games this season, stating, “It doesn’t feel like I have had a season out at all.”
Return to Refereeing
This is not Wood’s first rapid return; she refereed eight weeks after having her son, Huxley, now three. She credits family support and trusting her intuition. “I did a 5k run the day before my due date and that kicked me into labour,” Wood added. “I had a really straightforward and rapid birth. I knew I was in a good place because I did a fitness test at 34 weeks and got a pretty good score.”
Full-Circle Moment
The PWR Final returns to Twickenham Stoop for the first time in 10 years, a venue where Wood played for Richmond under her maiden name Myers in 2016, scoring an interception try in a 28-17 win over Saracens. “It is probably one of my favourite rugby memories,” she said. “It was the first televised women’s Premiership game, on Sky Sports, so it was awesome that we could have family and friends watching.” Players from that match, including Poppy Cleall, Lotte Sharp, and Deborah Wills, are now with Saracens preparing for Sunday’s final.
Role Model for Mothers
Wood hopes to inspire other mothers. “My journey has been from a player to referee and then doing motherhood throughout refereeing. It just shows that it is possible,” she said. “Before my son turned one, he had been to 10 countries with me on World Rugby duty. For me, rugby is the ultimate family sport. The referee is human, we do have a family, we have day jobs, and we care about the game just as much as anyone.”
