A decision on the referee for the Gillette Four Nations final has been reached with the appointment of New Zealander Leon Williamson.
Neutral referee agreed for decider
A decision on the referee for the Gillette Four Nations final between England and Australia has been reached with the appointment of New Zealander Leon Williamson.
The finalists failed to secure their first choice officials, with England pressing for St Helens referee Steve Ganson while the Kangaroos requested Australian Shayne Hayne.
Stalemate ensued when New Zealand chose Williamson, but after three days of talks RFL director of match officials Stuart Cummings opted to go with the 40-year-old neutral referee.
Both finalists have already been refereed by Williamson in the competition after the Kiwi was in charge of England's opening game against France and Australia's clash with France in Paris.
The video referee will be Warrington's Phil Bentham, while Frenchman Thierry Alibert is the reserve referee.
Following a request by Australia, Hayne, who has been named referee of the year by the International Federation, will act as video referee observer.
The Kangaroos are no doubt still sore from Ganson awarding a penalty try against them in his role as video referee during their World Cup final defeat by New Zealand last year.
