Claire Hodnett will become the first female TMO in Aviva Premiership Rugby history when she helps officiate Newcastle Falcons’ clash with Gloucester Rugby in Round 9.
Hodnett, who was the first female official to join the RFU’s national panel of referees in 2014 and refereed at her second Women’s Rugby World Cup last summer, will be working in conjunction with JP Doyle and his assistants Tim Wigglesworth and Peter Allan as the Falcons and Gloucester meet in front of the BT Sport cameras on Friday night.
Elsewhere, on Sunday, Christophe Ridley takes charge of his first Aviva Premiership Rugby game when he referees London Irish’s meeting with Wasps.
Irish will go looking for their first victory over Wasps since February 2014 and former Leicester Tigers academy man Ridley will make his debut with Hamish Smales and Nigel Carrick as his assistants.
Saracens and Exeter Chiefs also meet at 3pm on Sunday in another clash broadcast live on BT Sport, and Ian Tempest is the man in the middle.
On Saturday, Craig Maxwell-Keys is the referee for Bath versus Harlequins at the Rec and Greg Macdonald has the whistle for Leicester Tigers’ clash with Worcester Warriors.
Meanwhile, former Harlequins scrum-half Karl Dickson officiates his second Aviva Premiership Rugby match as he oversees Sale Sharks against Northampton Saints.