England host Scotland at Twickenham on Saturday as they look to put an end to successive Calcutta Cup losses in new coach Steve Borthwick's first game in charge.
Last time out, a nerve shredding game saw Gregor Townsend's side retain the historic cup in a narrow 20-17 victory, with a penalty try awarded against Luke Cowan-Dickie and Finn Russell's decisive penalty in the final 10 minutes handing them the win.
The penalty try decision was contentious to say the least, with former Scotland coach Matt Williams claiming England were "robbed" having looked on course for victory.
Hoping to avoid such controversy this time around is Paul Williams, who is the man in the middle for this weekend's game between the old rivals as he returns to the Six Nations after a three-year hiatus.
But who is Paul Williams and what can England and Scotland expect from his officiating? Here's everything you need to know.
Who is Paul Williams?
Born in Taranaki, New Zealand, in 1985, Williams started his refereeing career in 2011 while still playing at scrum-half at club level. He was appointed to the New Zealand High Performance referee squad three years later, and quickly rose up through the domestic ranks before becoming a full-time referee on the Super Rugby panel in 2016.
As well as Super Rugby matches, he refereed the World Rugby U20 Championship final between England and Ireland in 2016 before taking charge of his first international test match the following year.
He was selected to officiate at the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan, and the year after became the first New Zealand-born referee to take charge of an All Blacks' test when he oversaw the first game of the Bledisloe Cup series in Wellington.
Has he refereed England or Scotland before?
Yes, Williams has taken charge of each side on four occasions. Steve Borthwick's side are especially familiar with the New Zealander after he oversaw their final test against Australia last summer. England came out on top as 17-21 winners in a game free of incident, with the referee likely hoping for more of the same at Twickenham this weekend.
Scotland are also a notable team for Williams, with the official making his last appearance at a Six Nations in their 28-17 win over France in 2020, the final game played at the tournament before it was postponed until October due to the outbreak of coronavirus. That game saw him send off Les Bleus tighthead Mohamed Haouas for a punch on Scotland's Jamie Ritchie, with his dismissal effectively ending France's title and Grand Slam ambitions.
He also took charge of Gregor Townsend's side in his first international test match, as they faced Italy in Singapore. He was kept busy that day, with Dean Budd and Abraham Steyn both sent to the sin-bin, the latter for a dangerous tip-tackle.
How did he 'bring shame' on the sport?
Last year, Williams found himself on the end of a remarkable attack from a South African news publication, which tore into his officiating of the Springboks' clash with Australia in the 2022 Rugby Championship. The South African demanded the referee banned from refereeing elite international matches going forward, accusing him of bringing shame on the sport.
The scathing attack cited a series of grievances from the game, including the decision to yellow card scrum-half Faf de Klerk for "striking" opposite number Nic White, with the Wallabies star theatrically collapsing to the ground clutching his face after what replays showed was the slightest of contact.
That incident, together with the failure to penalise Marika Koroibete for a perceived shoulder charge and the accusation that Williams allowed Australia to use "spoiling tactics" led the journalist to call for him to be "banished to the bush leagues" for the remainder of his career.
The article added: "Paul Williams bought into play-acting from Australia scrum-half Nic White, whose actions have no place in the sport at all. Williams and White bring the game into disrepute.
"Williams has brought shame onto the game of rugby with one of the worst officiating displays in modern rugby. Williams’ diabolical decision-making robbed the Springboks of momentum and points and changed the nature of the game. This referee has no place taking charge of big games and should be banished to the bush leagues for the rest of his days."
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Who are the England v Scotland officials?
- Referee: Paul Williams (NZR)
- Assistant Referee 1: Ben O’Keeffe (NZR)
- Assistant Referee 2: James Doleman (NZR)
- TMO: Brendon Pickerill (NZR)
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