France vs Wales referee was victim of 'scathing attack'
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The 2025 Six Nations kicks off on Friday night in Paris and the France vs Wales referee for the tournament opener is New Zealand official Paul Williams.
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Williams returns to Test action after featuring at last year's Rugby World Cup in France, and he's no stranger to high-profile clashes. But who exactly is the man with the whistle? Here's everything you need to know.
From Scrum-Half to Top-Level Referee
Born in Taranaki, New Zealand, in 1985, Williams started his refereeing career in 2011 while still playing as a scrum-half at club level. Three years later, he was fast-tracked into New Zealand's High Performance referee squad, making a name for himself in domestic rugby before earning a spot on the Super Rugby panel in 2016.
His rapid rise continued with international appointments, including refereeing the 2016 World Rugby U20 Championship final between England and Ireland. The following year, he took charge of his first senior Test match and by 2019, he was officiating at the Rugby World Cup in Japan.
In 2020, Williams made history by becoming the first New Zealand-born referee to officiate an All Blacks Test, overseeing their Bledisloe Cup clash with Australia in Wellington. He continued to feature at the highest level, returning for the 2023 World Cup in France.
The Controversial Springboks Clash
Williams has had his fair share of heated moments, but none more so than his officiating of South Africa's Rugby Championship clash with Australia in 2022. His performance that day sparked outrage from South African media, with The South African launching a scathing attack on his decisions.
The criticism centred around a yellow card for Faf de Klerk, who was penalised for striking Wallabies scrum-half Nic White. Replays suggested minimal contact, yet White dramatically collapsed, a move that infuriated Springbok fans. Williams also came under fire for not penalising Marika Koroibete for a perceived shoulder charge and allegedly allowing Australia to slow the game down.
The backlash was brutal, with the publication calling for Williams to be "banished to the bush leagues" and accusing him of bringing "shame onto the game of rugby." The article even claimed his officiating had robbed South Africa of momentum and changed the outcome of the match.
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