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After countless hours of preparation, the match official team for Rugby World Cup 2015 arrived in England with enormous pressure on their shoulders.But that hard work paid off as they put in a collective display that showed consistency, accuracy and bravery and helped to showcase the players’ abilities in their best possible light. Just as Rugby World Cup is the highlight of any player’s career, so it is for referees and the culmination of years of hard work, dedication and passion for the game.With every decision monitored and assessed closely, they repaid the faith the selectors had in them and showed just why they are considered to be the very best at what they do.And the man tasked with the job of building towards RWC 2015 on a day-to-day basis was World Rugby High Performance Match Official Manager Joël Jutge, who managed the group with skill, empathy and 90 WORLD RUGBY YEAR IN REVIEW 2015ABOVEWelsh referee Nigel Owens keeps an eye on the scrum as Australia take on New Zealand in the Rugby World Cup 2015 finalIt was the year 12 referees, seven assistant referees, four television match officials and one World Rugby High Performance Match Official Manager had been waiting for. dedication. Shortly after RWC 2015, Jutge announced he would be stepping down from the role after four years. He was wished well by World Rugby Chairman Bernard Lapasset, Rugby Committee Chairman John Jeffrey, the elite match officials and all his colleagues in the organisation.With four main international windows in the rugby calendar (Six Nations, June internationals, Rugby Championship and November internationals), the match officials’ selection committee meets four times a year with a comprehensive programme of performance review and coaching in place. World Rugby works closely with referee managers from the major member unions as well as the organisers of the two big cross-border domestic competitions, Super Rugby and European Rugby Champions Cup, to ensure a joined-up approach is taken in the area of referee development.REFEREES MAKE THE MOST OF RUGBY WORLD CUP OPPORTUNITYRugby World Cup 2015referee panelWayne Barnes (England), George Clancy (Ireland), JP Doyle (England), Jérôme Garcès (France), Pascal Gauzere (France), Glen Jackson (New Zealand), Craig Joubert (South Africa), John Lacey (Ireland), Nigel Owens (Wales), Jaco Peyper (South Africa). Romain Poite (France), Chris Pollock (New Zealand).RWC 2015assistant refereesFederico Anselmi (Argentina), Stuart Berry (South Africa), Mike Fraser (New Zealand), Angus Gardner (Australia), Leighton Hodges (Wales), Marius Mitrea (Italy), Mathieu Raynal (France).RWC 2015 TMOsGeorge Ayoub (Australia), Graham Hughes (England), Ben Skeen (New Zealand), Shaun Veldsman (South Africa).The World Rugby Match Official Selection Committee, chaired by John Jeffrey, comprises former elite referees Lyndon Bray (SANZAR), Andrew Cole (SANZAR), Donal Courtney (European Rugby Champions Cup), Clayton Thomas (Six Nations) and Joël Jutge. RUGBY BUILDS CHARACTER | MATCH OFFICIALS