MIDDLESEX County Festivals 2009 Un / U12 RUGBY FESTIVAL RULES

Middlesex County Rugby Festivals 2010 U11/ U12 Festival Rules

Laws and eligibility 1. All matches will be played in accordance with the Laws of the Game of Rugby Union as amended by the Rugby Continuum. 2. Eligibility to play in a particular age group will be determined by the age at the player at midnight on 31st August 2009. Unless an official dispensation from the RFU is able to be produced NO player may contest the festival in any other age group than the age group in which they are properly qualified. 3. All games will be played under the RFU Continuum. 4. Entry fees must be paid prior to Festival.

The County Format Builds on the Success of the 2009 Events 5. The Under 11’s and Under 12’s will play on 21st March at Wasps FC. 6. The Under 11A and B teams will play in a league phase consisting of 8 leagues of 3 teams each, followed by a knock out phase. From previous festival results four clubs have been seeded to ensure an even spread across the leagues. 7. All teams competing in the league phase will progress to the first knockout round, competing in one of 3 County Events 8. The four Under 11C teams will play in a round robin league with the top two teams from the league contesting the Under 11C final 9. The Under 12’s will play in a special Championship format as last year, based on the results of the three qualifying rounds held during the season.

Under 11 League Phases 10. Each team will play each of the other teams in its league. 11. Each team will be awarded four points for a win, two points far a draw and one point far a defeat. 12. The teams in each league will be ranked by reference to the number of points awarded, with the team with the highest number of points ranked highest in the league. 13. lf at the end of the league phase two or more teams are level on points the following process will be used to determine their final positions in the league: a) If two teams are level on points the league position will be determined by the result of the match between the two teams. b) If that match is drawn the pool position will be determined by the margin between tries scored for and against them in all pool matches (the team with the highest margin will be ranked higher): c) If the league position of teams level on points cannot be resolved by the above means the teams will be ranked by tries scored (the team with the highest number of tries scored will be ranked higher); d) If the league position of teams remains unresolved the teams will be ranked by reference to the toss of a coin between the team coaches. e) If three or more teams are level on points the league position will be determined by the margin between tries scored far and against them in f) all pool matches (the team with the highest margin will be ranked higher) : g) If the league position of teams level on points cannot be resolved by the above means the teams will be ranked by tries scored (the team with the highest number of tries will be ranked higher); h) If the league position of teams remains unresolved the teams will be ranked by reference to the toss of a coin between the team coaches.

Under 11 Quarter-finals, Semi-finals and Finals 14. After the league phase has been completed, the next stage of the competition, in the quarter finals, semi-finals and finals, will be on a straight knockout basis. If the score is level at the end of normal time NO extra time will be played, as set down in the Continuum. 15. lf the score is level at the end of a quarter-final or semi-final the winner will be determined by the following process: a) The number of points awarded in their respective leagues (the team with the highest number of points will be the winner); b) The margin of tries scored for and against them in their respective league matches (the team with the highest margin will be the winner) c) The total number of tries scored by them in their respective league matches (the team with the highest number of tries scored will be the winner) d) The toss of a coin between the team captains. 16. For finals, if a winner cannot be determined during normal time the teams will be declared joint winners.

Under 12 Finals Day

17. The Under 12A & Under 12B Finals Day has been preceded by 3 round-robin league qualifying weekends. The results have been collated and used to determine participation in the Championship, Plate or Bowl 18. On the Finals day and for each aspect of the Championship (Cup, Plate Bowl events) in the event of a tie then the process to decide the advancement to either the 1st v 2nd Final (groups of 4) or in deciding the final league placing (groups of 3) will be as follows a) Total points difference on the day. b) Total Tries scored on the day c) Match result between relevant teams. d) League Position from round robin weekends. e) Toss of a coin

19. For 1st v 2nd & 3rd v 4th finals, if a winner cannot be determined during normal time the teams will be declared joint winners.

Substitution, squad sizes and duration of matches 21. Each team may play substitutes to be introduced only with the permission of the referee. 22. Under 11’s squads cannot exceed 17 Players 23. Under 12’s squads cannot exceed 18 Players 24. Matches for Under 11’s will be seven minutes each way. 25. Matches for Under 12’s will be 15 minutes each way.

Discipline 26. Should there be a breach of good conduct or the Laws of the game by a player the Referee may recommend their substitution to a coach under the prescribed process. Coaches should take this opportunity to remove the player from the field and coach them appropriately to resolve the issue. 27. Should the player re-offend or the Coach refuse the request the Referee may ask tor the immediate Substitution of the offending player. In this instance the Player may not take any further part in the Festival. 28. Should there be a breach of good conduct or the Laws of the game by an Adult the Referee may stop the game to address the issue. Time will be stopped and the Pitch Marshal invited on to the field. The club coach will be officially notified of the issue and instructed to immediately resolve the matter; this will be noted by the Pitch Marshal and reported to the County Chairman. The game will be restarted once the issue has been dealt with, but should there be any further occurrences or other inappropriate behaviour the Referee may immediately end the game awarding the result to the non-offending side. PLEASE NOTE: any offences by adults are dealt with as a senior club matter by the County and RFU and the sanctions against both club and individual can be severe. We will not tolerate any physical or verbal abuse of officials or other volunteers. Refer to the Codes of Conduct for further information.

Disputes 29. All disputes must be brought to the attention of the Pitch Marshall who shall have the full authority of the Festival Committee to rule on the dispute. 30. Appeals against the decision of the Pitch Marshall may be made to the Festival Chairman. These rulings shall be final.

Other Notes 31. Middlesex operates a STUDS ONLY ... NO BLADES policy for boots at all Festivals and this includes the Championship. 32. Mouthguards are a requirement for all players.