Italy vs England referee: Who is Six Nations official Paul Williams?
Williams is one of the referees in this year’s Six Nations
![](https://static.independent.co.uk/2023/09/26/13/newFile-1.jpg)
Support truly
independent journalism
Our mission is to deliver unbiased, fact-based reporting that holds power to account and exposes the truth.
Whether $5 or $50, every contribution counts.
Support us to deliver journalism without an agenda.
![Louise Thomas](https://static.independent.co.uk/static-assets/support-us/louise-thomas.png)
Louise Thomas
Editor
New Zealand’s Paul Williams is one of the referees for this year’s Six Nations.
Williams began his career with the whistle in 2011, and was appointed to the New Zealand High Performance referee squad three years later.
A step-up into Super Rugby followed in 2016, with Williams the first official in the competition from the North Island region of Taranaki.
That same year, the New Zealander took charge of the World Rugby U20 Championship final between England and Ireland.
12 months later, an international debut arrived as Williams officiated Scotland’s win over Italy in Singapore.
The 38-year-old made his World Cup debut in 2019 and returned to the tournament in the autumn.
In 2020, during the Covid pandemic, Williams became the first New Zealand-born referee to take charge of an All Blacks game in almost 40 years.
He is joined by Ben Doleman and Ben O’Keeffe as the Kiwi representatives in this year’s Six Nations officiating panel.
Italy vs England match officials
Referee: Paul Williams (NZ)
ARs: Nic Berry (Aus) & Nika Amashukeli (Geo)
TMO: Brett Cronan (Aus)
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments