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A huge amount of hard work has been going on since Nigel Owens blew the final whistle of RWC 2015 and the match officials are doing everything in their power to make sure they are ready for the start of the next edition in Japan. And just as the players will be working hard to secure selection in their nations’ squads, the top whistle-blowers will be desperate to force their way onto the RWC 2019 panel.But in the meantime, there is plenty of great international rugby on offer and opportunities for the game’s leading and emerging match officials to impress the selectors.Match officials are accountable for every decision they make. All performances are scrutinised in minute detail by assessors, coaches and, crucially, by the referees themselves so that they continue to improve all the time. World Rugby has the plan in place to make sure the world’s very best referees, assistant Just like players and fans around the globe, the world’s best referees, assistant referees and television match officials (TMOs) are already looking forward to Rugby World Cup 2019.MATCH OFFICIALS CONTINUE TO WORK HARD AS STANDARDS IMPROVELEFTAlhambra Nievas refereeing a sevens match between Russia and Canada referees and TMOs are the ones out there making the big decisions as the action unfolds in rugby’s most important matches. To that end, the elite referees come together a couple of times a year to work on aspects of law application, protocol and game management to ensure a level of consistency whatever the competition or conditions.The World Rugby 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 two big cross-border domestic competitions, Super Rugby and European Professional Club Rugby, to ensure a joined-up approach is taken in the area of referee development.The committee, chaired by Anthony Buchanan, comprises former elite referees Lyndon Bray (SANZAAR), Joël Jutge (European Rugby Champions Cup) and World Rugby High Performance Match Officials Manager Alain Rolland. In addition, former international player and coach Nick Mallett serves as an advisor to the committee.2016 was also a huge year for referees in the sevens game. Rugby’s return to the Olympic Games in Rio was an historic occasion for the sport and the culmination of a huge amount of preparation for the world’s best sevens match officials, who have been honing their skills on the men’s and women’s HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series. This hard work, dedication and skill was acknowledged when the two referees from the men’s and women’s Olympic gold medal matches, South African Rasta Rasivhenge and Spain’s Alhambra Nievas, jointly received the World Rugby Referee Award at the World Rugby Awards ceremony in London on 13 November.76 WORLD RUGBY YEAR IN REVIEW 2016EDUCATE | MATCH OFFICIALS