Pregnancy reveals are often unique, joyous moments people have come to share with the masses, but a fear of losing out on work forced Holly Wood to keep her condition under wraps.
The rugby referee—and former Harlequins scrum-half—fell pregnant with husband Emmerson last year but kept the news a secret as she was worried her bosses at the Rugby Football Union "would have s*** themselves." Amid financial concerns across the sport, the matter of maternity leave is one without a recognised route in rugby, and Wood wasn't willing to take the risk while she still felt she could perform her role.
The result was Wood overseeing 46 matches—25 as referee and 21 as an assistant—in the Allianz Premier 15s, men's lower leagues and BUCS university divisions while carrying her child. That didn't prevent the 30-year-old from officiating 23 games at December's Dubai Sevens, where she was named Referee of the Tournament.
