Six Nations 2024: Spotlight on New Zealand official Ben O’Keeffe

During the Six Nations series, New Zealand referees Ben O’Keeffe, and Paul Williams. James Doleman, Angus Mabey, and Brendon Pickerill will be flying to Europe once more. Rugby fans worldwide are called to book Six Nations 2024 tickets from our online platform ticketing. co. Rugby fans can book Scotland Six Nations Tickets on our website at exclusively discounted prices.

O’Keeffe, accompanied by his assistant referees Doleman Mabey and Pickerill in the TMO box. He has been assigned to officiate the Wales vs. Scotland match in Cardiff on February 3.

Six Nations 2024: Paul Williams

Williams is scheduled to officiate Italy vs England in Rome on the same day. Williams began officiating in 2011 while he was still a halfback for his club. In 2014 he was named to the New Zealand High Performance referee squad. He advanced through the local ranks of refereeing swiftly. And in 2016 he became the first Taranaki-born full-time referee on the Super Rugby panel.

Williams officiated the World Rugby U20 championship match in 2016. He led his first international test match in 2017. He has been selected to officiate at the Rugby World Cup in 2019. Rugby fans can book Italy Vs England Six Nations Tickets on our website at exclusively discounted prices.

On October 10, 2020, at Wellington’s Sky Stadium, Williams officiated the first All Blacks test match of the 2020 Bledisloe Cup series. Being the first referee of New Zealand descent to do so in forty years.

Six Nations 2024: England v Wales

A week after, Doleman will whistle the England v Wales encounter at Twickenham with O’Keeffe as one of his assistant referees with Pickerill TMO. Accompanied them as an assistant referee will be the first woman to have a role in the competition. The Scottish Umpire Hollie Davidson.

The competition marks the beginning of a new four-year cycle and Phil Davies, the director of rugby at World Rugby. He stated that the organization is collaborating with unions to expand the chances for identifying and training the upcoming generation of match officials.

“This choice preserves the experience that is the foundation of contemporary refereeing while also reflecting that dedication. To guarantee that we influence the direction of officiating in the future. We are also dedicated to working with international coaches and athletes.”

Mabey will be one of eight new assistant referees making their debuts throughout the competition. Three referees will be officiating for the first time.

O’Keeffe Early Career

After beginning to officiate in 2008 at the age of 19. Ben O’Keeffe joined the New Zealand Rugby Union (NZRU) as a professional referee in 2013. On August 31, 2013, he made his debut domestically throughout the 2013 ITM Cup match involving Auckland and Bay of Plenty. He officiated Canterbury vs. Auckland in the 2015 ITM Cup Final on October 24, 2015.

O’Keeffe began off as an assistant referee in Super Rugby in 2014. Later on, World Rugby decided to include him in the 2014 IRB Junior World Championship. There he made four appearances as the primary official. It included the championship match against South Africa and England.

He was selected for the Super Rugby season in January 2015. has hitherto continued to referee domestic games. He made his debut in the tournament’s second round. Substituting for injured referee Chris Pollock to officiate the Highlanders vs. Crusaders match on February 21.

Ben O’Keeffe Officiate in Super Rugby

He was the man in the middle. In the Hurricanes vs. Lions 2016 Super Rugby Final, the Hurricanes won 20–3. He officiated as well. Now a fixture on the Super Rugby circuit. O’Keeffe was chosen to officiate the Super Rugby Aotearoa 2021 championship and the first-ever Super Rugby Pacific in 2022.

He received praise for his handling of two contentious situations. After the Super Rugby Final in 2023, he was met with scathing abuse on social media. Including threats of death, which he publicly denounced. Many rugby bodies, notably New Zealand Rugby, were supportive of this and gave it positive feedback. 

In 2018, 2021, and 2022, he received the New Zealand Umpire of the Year award. In 2023, he received recognition for officiating 35 international test matches. It elevated him to the status of the second-most-experienced New Zealand test encounter referee in history.

Ben O’Keeffe: International career

His first international encounter as an assistant referee was Fiji vs. Tonga on July 18, 2015. It marked the start of the 2015 World Rugby Pacific Nations Cup. Ben O’Keeffe debuted in the Six Nations Championship in 2016 as an assistant referee for the Ireland vs. Wales game on February 7. The England vs Italy match the next weekend.

O’Keeffe officiated his first international match on June 11, 2016. Overseeing the historic encounter between Samoa and Georgia, which resulted in a 19-all draw. The next week, on June 18 he officiated his first Tier 1 match, Scotland vs. Japan. In August 2016, he officiated his first Rugby Championship match as South Africa’s assistant referee against Argentina.

He officiated his first Tier 1 vs. Tier 1 match in November 2016 in Edinburgh. Overseeing Scotland’s close victory over Argentina. He regularly officiates Six Nations and Rugby Championship games.

Youngest referee in 2019 RWC

At the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan, he was chosen as the youngest referee. In addition to serving as an assistant referee during the knockout stages. He officiated three pool play matches. O’Keffee received a lot of praise for his handling of the tournament’s final pool match, which saw host nation Japan defeat Scotland 28–21.

After that, he umpired many playoff games. Among these included the championship match between England and South Africa. In the Six Nations 2024 Championship, O’Keeffe officiated England vs. Wales and Italy vs. Scotland to start his 2020 International refereeing career.

Recognized as one of the world’s best match officials. Ben O’Keeffe was chosen to officiate in the British and Irish Lions’ second test. He toured South Africa in 2021 and the Rugby World Cup in France in 2023.

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