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YORKSHIRE MERIT LEAGUES & MERIT TABLES COMPETITION

REGULATIONS

1. Name

The competition shall be known as the ‘Yorkshire Rugby Football Union (YRFU) Merit Leagues and Merit Tables Competition’ (the ’L&Ms’)

2. Aims

The L&Ms shall have the following objectives: - a) To encourage and facilitate a greater number of regular Saturday games for players of the participating clubs and to encourage clubs to play, even when short of players b) To provide a more competitive edge to matches. c) To encourage continued camaraderie between clubs and players at a district level. d) To prepare younger players for the competitive involvement in league rugby. e) To encourage new players into the game.

3. Administration a) The L&Ms shall be supervised by the YRFU, which shall appoint the Community Rugby Standing Committee (‘Organiser’) to administer them. b) The Organiser shall administer the L&Ms and make such decisions as it deems appropriate to run an efficient and fair competition. It has the power to co-opt additional members for this purpose if necessary. c) Decisions of the Organiser shall be subject to review under the appeals procedure. The provisions of clause 30 of the YRFU Cup Shield and Silver Trophy Rules shall apply also to the L&Ms. d) Each League/Merit Table shall be managed by a Co-ordinator to whom all queries and disputes should be referred. The Co-ordinator shall be responsible for resolving all issues arising within his Leagues/ Merit Tables. e) The Organiser shall have the power to alter or amend these Regulations when it considers this to be necessary, but it will consult and seek comment from participating clubs before implementing changes if this is appropriate and time permits. f) All matches in the competition shall be played under the Laws of the RFU and shall comply with the Rules and Regulations of the RFU where applicable. g) Each club in the competition shall appoint at least one representative to act as its liaison officer. For easy and quick contact with Co-ordinators, the liaison officer must have direct access to e-mail and must use this.

4. League and Merit Table Structure a) The Leagues will consist of: YRFU Premiership, YRFU Championship, North/West Division 1, South/East Division 1, Aire Wharfe / West Districts Division 2, Central / North Districts Division 2, East District Division 2, and South District Division 2 b) The Merit Tables will consist of Aire Wharfe / West Districts, Central / North Districts, East District, and South District 5. Participation a) To participate in any of the L&Ms, a club shall be in membership of the RFU or the YRFU. Only clubs which are members of YRFU or are approved by the Organiser shall be invited to participate in the competition. b) Clubs may not have more than one team in a League, but may have more than one team in a Merit Table provided they do not play one another. .

6. Fixtures a) Fixtures for the Premiership will be arranged by its Co-ordinator. b) All other fixtures will be arranged by clubs on the nominated RFU “14 Team” League Saturdays following the RFU Structured Season 2014-15. c) All matches shall be played on Saturday afternoons between the 1st Saturday in September and the second Saturday in April each season unless otherwise agreed with the Co-Ordinator d) The minimum playing area for a match shall be 83 metres in length by 55 metres in width with appropriate dead ball areas unless both teams agree otherwise at the time of confirming the fixture. To facilitate this Clubs may mutually rearrange the fixture venues where pitch availabilities clash. Any such changes must be notified to the Co-ordinator. e) If a game is not to be played at a home club’s own ground, the Co-ordinator’s permission must be obtained. This shall only be withheld if it is believed that the choice of venue unreasonably disadvantages the away side. f) In the event of a dispute between clubs as to when or where a game should be played, the decision shall be made by the Co-ordinator. g) All matches, whether pre-planned or re-arranged, should take precedence over any local cup competition or ‘friendly’ match. h) Clubs should ensure that if a colour clash is likely to occur between teams, arrangements for the home team to change are made when the match is confirmed. i) A match shall be postponed if either Captain regards the pitch as unplayable. The referee’s opinion may be sought, but it is a decision for the Captains whether to play the game or not. j) Where a match is postponed in advance, the home club shall ensure that voice contact is made with the opposing club to confirm. Sending an e-mail, or text message, or leaving a voicemail, is not sufficient k) If a fixture is not fulfilled due to the weather the fixture should be played on the next available Saturday. Both clubs must notify the Co-ordinator of the postponement and the date of the re-arranged fixture. l) Calling off a fixture due to shortage of players should be the last resort. Attempts should be made before 9.00 pm on the Tuesday prior to the fixture to postpone the match and to arrange an alternative date, and clubs are expected to co-operate in seeking to agree an alternative date. Assistance can be sought from the Co-ordinator in determining available dates for both teams. Any revised date should be notified to the Co-ordinator before 9.00 pm on the Thursday prior to the proposed fixture. Where a postponement is not sought, or agreement to postpone cannot be reached then consideration should be given to play with reduced numbers as per Regulation 8 i). m) If a team does decide not to fulfil a fixture, excluding a postponement due to the pitch being unplayable, it shall forfeit the game. The non-offending team shall be awarded a walkover, and shall be awarded 5 points. The offending team will receive no points. The next fixture between the clubs shall be played at the ground of the non offending club. In addition all the teams for that club playing in a lower level of the L&Ms shall also forfeit their fixtures on that date, save such teams as shall have been accepted by the Organiser as being unable to provide players for a higher team. n) A team which does decide not to fulfil a fixture should make its decision early and advise its opposition by telephone at the latest by 21.00 on the Thursday beforehand. Voice contact must be made with the opposing club. . Sending an e-mail, or text message, or leaving a voicemail, is not sufficient. Where later cancellation occurs, the defaulting team shall suffer a 5 point deduction in addition to the penalty in m) above. Early discussion and communication should be the ‘norm’. o) If a team fails to honour 3 matches in the Premiership, Championship, North/West 1 or South/East 1 Leagues, 4 matches in the District Leagues or 5 matches in a Merit Table then its Co-ordinator shall exclude that team from the competition. In the case of a team being excluded or withdrawing, all its results will be expunged. (For the purposes of this regulation a failure to fulfil a fixture in March and/or April will be regarded as a failure to fulfil 2 fixtures). p) If a team is excluded or withdraws it will start in the League or Merit Table below for the following season. Where the club has a team in that League or Merit Table such team will also move down to the next level. Where a team is excluded from a Merit Table it will have to apply to rejoin for the following season, and which will be subject to such terms and conditions as the Organiser shall impose. q) If the weather causes a game to be abandoned with less than sixty minutes having been played, the game shall be deemed to have been drawn 0-0. If longer than 60 minutes have been played then the actual score will stand. If the game is abandoned for any other reason (eg serious injury), the game should be replayed on the next available Saturday unless both teams agree that the score at the time of abandonment should stand. The Co-ordinator must be advised by both teams of all abandonments, their cause, the length of time played, and the score at the time of abandonment.

7. Referees a) The home team shall be responsible for arranging the referee and paying his expenses. b) Best endeavours shall be used to secure the services of a referee from the Yorkshire Federation of Referees’ Societies. c) In the event of the appropriate Society being unable to appoint a referee, the home team shall be responsible for providing a competent referee. Each team should provide a touch judge. d) The captains shall be responsible for informing the referee of such of these rules as affect playing, especially those relating to uncontested scrums and replacements. e) It is the home team’s responsibility to notify the referee as soon as possible if a match is cancelled.

8. Players a) Only members of participating clubs may play in the L&Ms and will be the players normally selected to represent that team. Club teams should be selected on an ability basis, such that each team is expected to be at a playing level above the team below. b) Teams are expected to have a front row available for games and only on exceptional occasions should matches commence with ‘uncontested scrums’. Clubs must alert their opponents, prior to the game, as soon as they aware that they will be unable to field a full front row, so that the opportunity to offer a replacement player is given. A team which is unable to field or maintain a full front row does not have to play a man down. c) In the event of uncontested scrums for all or part of the game the result will stand as though contested scrums had taken place throughout. d) Both the home and away clubs must advise the Co-ordinator whenever a team commences a match with ‘uncontested scrums’ due to a shortage of front row players. The clubs involved must also advise if there was a move to ‘uncontested scrums’ during the course of a game and the approximate time of this change. e) If a team commences with, or moves to, ‘uncontested scrums’ its Co-ordinator will review the occurrence with its club and in his discretion may deduct points if he considers it to be unfair play eg. where a lower team has played with contested scrums on the same day. f) In all L&M League matches up to a maximum of 5 players may be named as replacements. In Merit Table games there is no limit on the number of replacements, the objective being to enable as many to play as wish to do so. Players will be allowed to ‘roll on and roll off’ on an unlimited basis so that if possible there are 15 players a side on the field of play at all times, g) There is no compulsion to have replacements and teams do not have to have equal numbers of replacements (other than as set out in Regulation 8 i)). Having one front row player amongst the replacements is advisable, so that at the first time of asking a team can replace a front row player and the game can continue with contested scrums. h) Replacements will only be made, with the referee’s permission, at stoppages of play other than for penalties, conversions and free kicks. Replacements for kicks alone are not permitted. i) Captains must inform the referee before the commencement of the match of the number of replacements available to be used by their teams. j) In the spirit of the L&Ms, where one team has less then 15 players, their opponents must assist in providing players so that the game can take place with an equal number of players and replacements in each team.. Where there are odd numbers, the team providing players to its opponents will be allowed to have one extra man in its squad if it wishes to do so. The expectation is that sportsmanship will prevail, and failure to assist as set out may, on the first occasion, result in the imposition of such sanction, up to recording the match result as a 25-0 win for the opposing team with the award of 1 bonus point, as the Co-ordinator sees fit. If there are further breaches, such further penalties may be imposed at the discretion of the Co-ordinator. k) Where such lending of players occurs, or the away team travels with 12 or less players, then yrfuresults @btinternet .com and the Co-ordinator should be informed. l) If a team has less than nine of its own players at the start of a game, the match should still be played, but a 25-0 win will be awarded to its opponents together with a bonus point. In all other circumstances the actual match result will stand. m) Teams must not be strengthened by players from senior sides where games have been cancelled or are not played for any reason. Clubs, by taking part, confirm that the Co-ordinator may make such enquiries of their senior teams’ League Secretary/Administrator/Co-ordinator as he may deem appropriate. If in the opinion of the Co-ordinator there is a breach of this regulation, he may, on the first occasion, impose such sanction, up to recording the match result as a 25-0 win for the opposing team with the award of 1 bonus point, as he sees fit. If there are further breaches, such further penalties may be imposed at the discretion of the Co-ordinator. n) When a club has more than one team participating in the competition, if a cancellation should occur due to lack of players, the cancellation must commence with the lowest team save where such team has previously been accepted by the Organiser as being unable to provide players to play at a higher level. o) Any protest arising from any alleged breach of this regulation shall be made to the League or Merit Table Co- ordinator by e-mail not later than 12.00 noon on the Monday following the match in question.

9. Notification of Results a) Both teams shall confirm with the referee the points and the number of tries scored by each. Both shall e-mail these to [email protected] and their Co-ordinator or to confirm the postponement or cancellation of the game by not later than 12.00 noon on the Monday following the match. Earlier advice is preferred. b) On a second and on each subsequent failure to provide any of this information in time the Co-ordinator shall deduct one point from the League or Merit Table total points of the team concerned.

10. Determination of Points and Final Placings a) Four points shall be awarded for a win, two points for a draw and no points for a loss. b) One bonus point will be awarded for scoring four or more tries, and also where a team loses by seven points or less. c) Any team fulfilling an away fixture with 12 or fewer players shall be awarded 1 bonus point in addition to any other points gained for the match SUBJECT only to that club’s lower teams not playing at full strength. d) Leagues: i) The total points awarded shall determine the final positions in the league, the teams being ranked in descending order. ii) If two or more teams have the same number of points, the team with the larger number of wins shall be placed above a team with fewer wins. iii) If teams have the same number of points and of wins, the team with the larger difference between match points ‘for’ and match points ‘against’ shall be placed above a team with a smaller such difference. iv) If teams have the same number of points and wins and match points difference, the team having scored more match points ‘for’ shall be placed above a team having a lesser such number. v) If this still does not establish the positions, the teams involved shall be ranked according to the number of matches won, excluding the first match of the season. If necessary this process shall be extended to exclude the second match, third match and so on until a difference is established. e) Merit Tables: i) Teams shall be ranked in descending order by their average points per game, determined by dividing the points awarded by the number of games played. ii) If teams have the same average points per game, the order shall be determined by which team has the better percentage record of games won in games played. If still level the determination is which of the teams has the higher average winning margin, calculated by deducting the points scored against a team from the points scored for it and then dividing the difference by the number of matches played by the team. If this still does not establish the positions, the teams involved shall be ranked according to the percentage number of matches won excluding the first match of the season. If necessary this process shall be extended to exclude the second match, third match and so on until a difference is established.

11. Promotion and Relegation a) Promotion and relegation will take place at the end of the season. b) The two lowest placed teams in the YRFU Premiership will be relegated to the YRFU Championship. The two highest placed teams in the YRFU Championship will be promoted to the YRFU Premiership c) The two lowest placed teams in the YRFU Championship will be relegated to the appropriate North/West or South/East League. The highest placed team in each of the North/West and South/East Leagues shall be promoted to the YRFU Championship. d) The two lowest placed teams in each of the North/West 1 and South/East 1 Leagues will be relegated to their respective District Leagues. e) The team finishing top of each District’s Division 2 League will be promoted to the appropriate North/West1 or South/East 1 League f) The two lowest placed teams in each District’s Division 2 League will be relegated to the corresponding Merit Table. Subject to their having played a minimum number of games, as determined by the Organiser on a Merit Table by Merit Table basis dependent upon the number of teams entered, the two highest placed teams in each Merit Table will be promoted to the corresponding District’s Division 2 League. Further adjustments may be necessary dependent upon the teams being relegated from the higher leagues. g) A club may formally request that its team be not promoted or that it be relegated. In this case the Organiser will determine whether or not to promote or relegate a team according to the arguments given and the relative playing strengths of the other teams. h) Teams cannot be promoted where this would cause two teams from a club to be in the same League. In this event the next placed team will be promoted. Where a relegation would result in 2 teams from the same club playing in the same League the lower placed team shall also be relegated. P Morgan, A Proud & D Towler. 21/07/14