Female referee gets flattened in lead-up to Bundee Aki try after ...
REFEREE Hollie Davidson was barrelled over in the lead-up to Bundee Aki's try vs Fiji - but was able to see the funny side of it.
As play got ragged and the Fijian defence drifted across desperately, it was second-row Mesake Vocevoce who accidentally ran into her at speed.
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To compound matters she had her back turned to him so wasn't even able to brace herself in the moment before impact.
However, she was immediately back up on her feet and calmly double-checked with her TMO that Aki's try was fair to award.
She posed the question: "Do I create that hole?" But the official up high in the stands felt the collision didn't have any influence in the Irish move slicing through the visitor's defence.
Davidson assured the apologetic Fijians that she was a-okay with plenty of viewers impressed by her interactions with both teams throughout.
Kevin Burch tweeted: "Love the way that Holly Davidson refs the game. Relaxed and always a smile...even when she gets clattered!"
Similarly, Mark Smyth added: "How good has Hollie Davidson been in that half? Clear communication, decisive & in charge."
Lastly, Will Owen praised: "Fair play Hollie Davidson taking a whack from Vocevoce and getting straight back up. No room for the faint-hearted!"
It wasn't the only memorably 'touching' moment from the contest either - albeit the other one was far gentler!
During the pre-match formalities Fijian players en masse bowed or knelt while shaking hands with President Michael D. Higgins.
Virgin Media pundit Matt Williams noted as the scene was unfolding that Melanesians are a famously respectful people and so it proved.
Fiji rugby team performs traditional war dance with hurleys during Dublin visit
The sight of their man-mountain players taking turns to bow or kneel as they shook hands with the diminutive President Higgins sparked a round of applause around the Aviva Stadium in recognition.
There was a big reaction to it online too. Among the many posts about it, Ross Morrissey tweeted: "That was a class moment."
While Lisa Ryan added: "Beautiful."
Neil Treacy of RTE noted: "Not a hopping atmosphere, but the sight of the Fijian players bowing as they greeted Michael D Higgins, and the crowd applauding them as they did it was actually a lovely moment."
And finally Chris Kelly posted: "Fiji rugby players' tribute to Michael D Higgins was world-class. Peak of respect."
It wasn't the only instance of the visitors ingratiating themselves with the locals pre-match either.
On Friday they had practiced their traditional Cibi war dance equipped with hurls for good measure.
They were in St. Brigid's Russell Park ground in Castleknock, where they received a hurling demonstration from club members.
Many of the motions in the Cibi are almost akin to swinging a follow-through on a hurl, and it did not look out of place in the hands of the Fijian players.
An ancient war dance, it was adopted by the national team in 1939 ahead of a trip to New Zealand in order to rival the All Blacks' Haka.
The last time the Cibi was performed in the Aviva was in 2017, when Ian Keatley's two late penalties dug Ireland out of a hole as Joe Schmidt's experimental side edged out a 23-20 win.
