SECONDARY SCHOOLS CONSTITUTION

(Amended March 2020) 1. NAME The Union is called the "Auckland Secondary Schools Rugby Union" (ASSRU).

2. AFFILIATION The Union is affiliated to the Inc and the Auckland Secondary Schools Heads Association Inc. (College Sport Auckland)

3. MEMBERSHIP (a) All secondary schools with rugby teams within the Auckland Rugby Union District and where Principals are members of College Sport are deemed to be members. (b) Schools without rugby teams in the competition of the previous season shall make application to play, in writing, to the ASSRU. Any such applications are subject to the approval of the Executive Committee.

4. ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING (a) The Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the ASSRU shall be held prior to the end of October. (b) Fourteen days’ notice of such meeting is to be given (c) Each member school of the ASSRU shall be entitled to send one delegate only. (d) The officers of the Union shall be elected at the AGM.

5. OFFICERS OF THE UNION The appointment and election of the Officers of the Union will take place at the AGM of the ASSRU. (a) President - appointed by College Sport. (b) Chairman (c) Secretary/Treasurer (d) Delegate to the ARU (e) Competition Supervisor (f) Northern Region Delegate (g) Executive Committee made of school delegates, College Sport, Auckland Rugby Referees Association and Life Members

6. THE COUNCIL OF DELEGATES (C.O.D.) (i) This shall consist of one delegate from each member school. (ii) At any meeting of the Council of Delegates, one half of the delegates will constitute a quorum. (iii) The Council of Delegates shall elect the Executive Committee.

7. THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE The officers of the Union plus the following shall form the Executive Committee which will administer Auckland Secondary Schools Rugby according to its constitution. (a) A delegate appointed from the Auckland Rugby Referees Association (b) A delegate from the Auckland Rugby Union (c) A College Sport representative.

8. SPECIAL GENERAL MEETING (a) A Special General Meeting may be convened at any time by the Executive Meeting. (b) A Special General Meeting may be convened upon the request of not fewer than five schools with seven days’ notice given to members.

9. JUDICIAL COMMITTEE Where necessary the ASSRU will defer all Judicial & Disciplinary matters to the ARU Judicial Committee. All other matters will be dealt with on a case by case basis by the Executive Committee.

10. COMPETITION COMMITTEE The Competition Committee is the Chairman, Secretary, Competition Supervisor and Draw Steward who is appointed by the Executive Committee. The Committee is chaired by the Competition Supervisor.

11. MATCHES - GAMES The commencing date for all competitions will be determined by the Executive Committee after consultation with the College Sport.

12. STUDENT ELIGIBILITY refer to College Sport By-laws.

13. PLAYING RULES OF THE UNION All matches will be played in accordance with the World Rugby “Laws of the Game” and NZR “Domestic Safety Law Variations” (DSLV’s)

14. PLAYING GRADES AND WEIGHTS Weight and/or age limits for each grade shall be determined by a General Meeting.

15. WEIGHING, AGE CERTIFICATION AND REGISTRATION Dates and methods of weighing will be decided at a General meeting.

16. LIFE MEMBERS The Executive Committee can nominate life members who shall remain members of the Union for their respective lives. Each election must be unanimous and shall be for the purpose of recognition of special services rendered to the Union. Nomination for life membership shall be made only by the Executive Committee. The election of Life members will be held at The AGM, voted on by the Council of Delegates.

17 CHANGE OF CONSTITUTION The Constitution of the ASSRU shall not be altered, added to or rescinded, except on the vote of a majority of two-thirds of the members present at any AGM or Special General Meeting duly convened. Notice of any proposed alteration, addition or rescission must be given in writing to the Secretary of the ASSRU at least 21 days before the meeting at which it is intended to propose such alteration, addition or recession. At least 14 days’ notice of such meeting shall be given to all members of the ASSRU. No alteration, addition or rescission shall be valid or of any effect, unless approved by the Executive Committee of the ASSRU.

18 REPORTS For presentation at the AGM. Each of the following will provide a written Annual Report which will be presented at the AGM (i) Chairman (ii) Secretary/Treasurer (iii) ARU Delegate (iv) Representative Manager(s) (v) Northern Region Delegate.

AUCKLAND SECONDARY SCHOOLS RUGBY UNION BY-LAWS

(Amended March 2020) These by-laws outline the operating procedures and must be read in conjunction with the Constitution and the Rules of Competition.

1. STUDENT ELIGIBILTY Refer to College Sport By-laws 4. General Eligibility 5. Premier Eligibility 6. Premier Registration https://collegesport.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Bylaws-Ratified-26-Sep- 2019.pdf 7. Premier Non-Domestic Student Eligibility 8. Premier Competition Rugby Eligibility 9. Composite Teams

Boys 1A and 1B only The procedure for registrations is: • All teams are to file their player registrations online with College Sport prior to the start of competition. A squad of 32 may be submitted, including four new to the school. • Additional players can be registered online for the team, provided registrations are received at College Sport 48 hours prior to the game in which the player is scheduled to play. • Players who are NOT new to school can also be deregistered from these competitions using the College Sport online system. College Sport Bylaws 6.3 and 6.4 detail special circumstances where a new to school player may be deregistered. • A New to School student who has transferred from any school and has played one or more fixtures for their previous school’s 1st team in rugby, may not participate in the first six competition matches of the 1A or 1B rugby season for their new school. In the case of a team participating in promotion/relegation fixtures, this match will count as one of the six stand down games. The stand down does not apply to pre-season matches, traditional matches or matches against visiting teams played during the stand down period. The stand down period will be taken from the student’s date of enrolment. Please note, that in the case of 1A rugby, the Auckland 1A Rugby Code of Practice must also be taken into account. A copy of that is provided below: • All students must be under 18 as at 1st January in the current year. • All 1A and 1B team sheets must be sent to College Sport by 12 noon, on the Friday preceding the Saturday match day. For any mid-week matches, team sheets must be sent to College Sport 24 hours prior to the commencement of the mid-week fixture, through the appropriate communication process. Changes can be made to that team list on Saturday for valid reasons. Those changes can be communicated before or after the match.

Auckland 1A Rugby Code of Practice The Principal/Head of each School competing in the Auckland 1A Rugby Competition will from 2 December 2018 accept responsibility for their School committing to:

• Abiding by the College Sport Premier By-laws AND: • Not permit any form of player recruitment or inducement to attract a student from another School’s 1st XV Rugby team that is part of an NZRU sanctioned competition • Not offer a student from another School’s 1st XV Rugby team (that is part of an NZRU sanctioned competition) a partial or full scholarship to attend their School • Any new to School player who has transferred from an NZRU 1st XV sanctioned competition will be stood down for the first six 1A competition games, and any potential semi-final or final matches • Tabling the details of any student who is transferring from another School, who may earn a place in their 1st XV programme within two years of enrolling • Ensuring each student in a 1st XV programme is undertaking a full course of study in an NZQA approved course of study or equivalent in a recognised international qualification • All members of 1st XV management attending after match functions, whether home or away and for these staff members/volunteers to act as role models for young men • All members of 1st XV management, and all senior staff acting in the spirit of schoolboy sport on sidelines, in after-match functions and in their communications with each other

1.1 Promotion/relegation play-off exemption: I. Players who enroll at their school on or before day one of the third school term of the previous year are eligible to play in the promotion / Relegation play-off matches. II. Any player enrolled in the school after this date (assuming the enrolment meets College Sport regulations) will be deemed New to School and are eligible to play for that school throughout the season but NOT in the Promotion / Relegation play-off matches.

2. WEIGHING, TEAM ENTRIES, REGISTRATION AND PROTESTS 2.1 Weight I. A player’s grade is determined by their initial weigh-in that is signed off by officials of the ASSRU. II. In the situation where, random weight checks or weigh-ins for play-offs and finals are conducted by officials of the ASSRU, a weight gain of 4Kg is permitted after Queen’s Birthday. The weight gain dispensation applies only to players whose initial registered weight was equal to or below the weight for that grade. (2020) III. Supplementary weighing will be done by an Executive member or representative nominated by them.

2.2 Team entries All TEAM ENTRIES will be completed through College Sport EnterNow system.

2.3 Protests, ordering off and out of order players Refer to ASSRU By-law 4: Protests, Complaints and Judicial Process

3. RE-GRADING PLAYERS *Refer in relation to College Sport By-law 4 3.1 Player status/eligibility Refer to College Sport By-law 4

3.2 Regrading players I. A player may be re-graded by the Executive Committee on written application from the delegate of their school. Such application must include information of the player’s playing record for that season. II. No player seeking re-grading shall play until re-grading has been confirmed by the ASSRU Executive. III. No player can be re-graded more than once in a season. IV. No re-gradings will take place after the last round robin games. V. There will be no re-gradings of 1st XV players to a 2nd XV by the ASSRU Executive. Any 1st XV registered players can play for their school’s highest 2nd XV throughout the season. However, any 1st XV registered player who has started three or more games for the 1st XV will be ineligible any subsequent 2nd XV semi- finals and finals. VI. Any 1st player who meets the requirements for U15 rugby may play for their schools highest U15 team during the season. However, any 1st XV registered player who has started three or more games for the 1st XV will be ineligible any subsequent U15 semi-finals and finals. VII. Schools can seek approval from College Sport for players to play ‘up’ from a lower grade to a higher one because of valid injury concerns. This especially relates to Front Row requirements. All dispensations to play up are at College Sports discretion.

3.3 Penalties I. First offence: Loss of game /competition points. II. Second offence: Team suspension.

4. PROTESTS, COMPLAINTS AND JUDICIAL PROCESS

School to School Matters relating to teams, players, coaches and spectators

ASSRU Executive Matters not resolved by Schools, competition formats & points

ARU Complaints Review - All protests and complaints submitted through the ARU website or Officer submitted Protest, Complaint & Misconduct forms.

- All judicial matters – yellow cards, red cards, abandoned matches, appeals.

4.1 Procedure for protests and complaints I. All complaints regarding ASSRU teams must be lodged through the complainants’ school. Any protest must be signed by the Principal on school letterhead and made within a week or before the next game to the Secretary. The Secretary will send a copy of the protest to the offending school and the ARU II. All protests, ordering off and appeals shall be conducted according to the guidelines laid out in the most current version of the NZR Handbook “Rules for Disciplinary Hearings” and the ARU Judicial Process. III. In the event of a protest/complaint or misconduct the appropriate form will need to be obtained from the ARU website: www.aucklandrugby.co.nz/forms. Protest, complaint or misconduct forms will be diverted to the appropriate authority once received.

4.2 Suspected out of order players I. Where a coach believes a member or members of the opposing team are (A) overweight (B) playing in the wrong grade or (C) are unregistered, they may ask the opposing coach/referee directly for the team sheet. II. Where any such request is made the opposing coach shall be obliged to provide that information on the individual or individuals concerned. III. If such information is not given the coach may consider ‘playing under protest’, advise the referee of the fact and make a protest under by-law 7 (a). The opposing coach can withdraw the player without penalty. If not, then the protest guidelines are in place.

4.3 Judicial process Disciplinary hearings are held at the offices of Sport Auckland, 5.30pm on Tuesdays. Schools and players will be contacted if they are required to attend. The Sport Auckland offices are located at Alexandra Park, Greenlane Rd West, Epsom.

5 DEFAULTS, FORFEITS & RESCHEDULING GAMES The ARU Competitions Administrator is the point of contact for any Defaults, forfeits, cancelations and field closures. Please read the below in conjunction with College Sport Defaults & Rescheduling Policy.

5.1 Deferring or Rescheduling games Where schools wish to alter or defer games then the host school must confirm with their opposition before changes are made and approval gained from the Competition Committee. Any changes must be completed by the end of that grades specified final competition round.

5.2 Cancellations I. Any cancellations for all grades 2nd XV and below will be adjusted on that grades respective draw. All draws can be accessed through the Auckland Rugby website (draws & results tab) or directly on the draws.nzrugby.co.nz/competitions. II. Cancellations will be made where deemed appropriate according to the weather and playing conditions by the host school. III. Where a school closes its grounds during the week the ARU Competitions Administrator shall be informed no later than noon on the Friday prior to the scheduled games. That school must also: a. Inform the ARRA Referees Administrator b. Inform the opposition. In these circumstances scheduled games will be played at the same venue but at a time and date suitable to the school(s). IV. Grounds closed after 12 noon on the Friday but before 7.00 am on the day of the match, will be replayed at a venue, time and date suitable to the opposing school. That school must also: a. Contact the School Delegate of the affected school b. Inform the ARRA Referees Administrator or the referee at the ground if applicable. V. Except where overridden by a general cancellation, schools which close their grounds after 7.00 am on the morning of the match forfeit their grade games to the opposing school(s). VI. When the coaches agree or the referee decrees that a ground is unplayable, the game(s) will be replayed when mutually agreed or, failing that, as decided by the Executive Committee. VII. Games cancelled on neutral grounds will be played at the convenience of the schools concerned. The School deemed the ‘home’ side will take responsibility to reschedule the fixture.

First XV Rugby: There will be no cancellation of First XV rugby.

5.3 Defaults Definition: Notification is given prior to the scheduled game being played: I. Any school intending to default a game must notify the ARU by 12 noon on the Friday preceding. They must then notify the team of the opposing school. Failure to do so will result in a fine on the offending school, such fine to be determined by the Executive Committee. II. If a team defaults, the school’s principal is advised in writing of the consequences of a second default. III. Penalty for default games: A. Non-offending team will receive 5 points for 1st grade & 4 points for all other grades. B. Score to be listed as 28-0 in favour of the non-offending team.

5.4 Forfeits Definition: Notification given at the time of the scheduled game being played. This could be for: I. Playing an ineligible player i.e. overweight, over age, ineligible registration of player II. Not having sufficient numbers to start the game: 15 players incl. three front row players III. Penalty for forfeited games: a. Non-offending team will receive 5 points for 1st grade & 4 points for all other grades. b. Score to be listed as 28-0 in favour of the non-offending team. V. All protests regarding competitions or games need to be made to the Executive Committee in accordance with ASSRU By-law 4: Protests, Complaints and Judicial Process.

6. INTER-SCHOOL VISITS OUTSIDE THE ASSRU AREA I. All teams playing matches in other areas other than districts controlled by the ARU should notify the Secretary of the time and location of the fixture. II. All teams playing schools from areas other than districts controlled by the ARU should notify the secretary of the time and location of the fixture(s).

WARNING: AUCKLAND SCHOOLS HOSTING OVERSEAS TEAMS The visiting school must have permission to travel to and play New Zealand schools. Permission comes from contact between the host rugby union and the NZR. The Auckland Rugby Union will not allocate referees to games where the visiting team does not get permission. Also, the Disability Insurance may be jeopardised.

7. REPRESENTATIVE SELECTOR/TEAM/TRIALS I. ASSRU Under 18 Representative sides will be selected each year. Representative players can only be selected from First XV teams.

8. NATIONAL 1ST XV CHAMPIONSHIP 8.1 Girl’s Championship Following the Girl’s First XV final, the winner of the final will qualify to represent the Auckland Rugby Union in the Franchise Qualifying game.

8.2 Open Championship Following the 1A final, the highest placed team (that opted for the “boys” section) will qualify to represent the Auckland Rugby Union in the Blues Franchise Qualifying game.

8.3 Co-ed Championship The highest placed Co-educational team (that opted for the co-ed draw) will qualify to represent the Auckland Rugby Union in the Blues Franchise Qualifying series.

8.4 Open or Co-ed Championship Pathway Schools that are able to play in both the Open and Co-ed Championships must make a decision on which is their preferred pathway by the final Friday of Term 2 of the year they are competing. This needs to be communicated to the Executive Committee. Schools may choose different pathways on a year to year basis. Schools that do not choose a pathway will be entered into the Open pathway.

9. COMPOSITE SCHOOL TEAMS. Refer to College Sport By-laws 9: Composite Teams (Rugby specific amendments) a. may not participate in any Premier Team, the 2A or U15A grade. They are eligible to participate in any other grade b. Composite teams are eligible for placing within grades c. This will mean composite teams are eligible for semi-final and final rugby

10. SEVENS RUGBY The ASSRU designate Sevens Rugby as a Term 1, 3 & 4 sport.

ASSRU RULES OF COMPETITION

1. SECONDARY SCHOOL RUGBY GRADES – The NZRU Domestic Safety Law Variations I. In terms of “The Laws of the Games of Rugby Union” all Secondary School grades will play matches under the NZRU Domestic Law Variations II. In relation to LAW 20: The Scrum - all Secondary School grades will play under IRB Under 19 Variations.

2. DATES OF PLAY I. All Secondary School Rugby will commence from the first weekend of Term 2 and will conclude by the final weekend of August in the year of Competition. NOTE: Promotion/Relegation for Premier Rugby will be held the last weekend of Term 1 Holidays. II. Girls Rugby will commence from the second Monday of Term 2 and will conclude by the final Monday in August in the year of competition.

3. PLAYING GRADES AND WEIGHTS 1st Grade Under 18 years* & open weight 2nd Grade Under 19 years & open weight Under 19 years & under 85kg – equivalent to 1R grade Under 19 years & under 70kg – equivalent to 5th grade Under 17 years* & under 60kg – equivalent to 6th grade Under 15 Under 15 years & open weight Under 15 years & under 55kg – replacement for 7th grade & U14 Restricted Under 14 Under 14 years & open weight I. All ages are to be taken as at the 1st of January in the year of competition. II. For weight restricted grades, in the situation where random weight checks or weigh-ins for play off matches are conducted by officials, a weight gain of 4kg is permitted from start of grade competition. (1R grade and below). III. The order of precedence for grades: 1A, 1B, 1C, 2A, 2B,15A, 2C/D,15B, 1RA, 1RB, 1RC/D, 5A, 5B, 5C/D, 14A, 6A, 15B/C, 6B/C, 14B/C, 15R.

4. TEAM ENTRIES 4.1 1st Grade / Premier Grade Promotion & Relegation Promotion within 1st Grade will be determined by the Executive Committee as follows: I. The bottom placed team in the 1A competition shall play the winner of the 1B competition the following year, in the week prior to the competition starting. The 1B School will have the home venue advantage. The winner of this game earns the right to play in the 1A competition in that year. This process will also occur between the 1B & 1C competitions. EXEC II. The team placed second to bottom in the 1A competition shall play the second placed team in the 1B competition the following year, in the week prior to the competition starting. The 1A School will have the home venue advantage. The winner of this game earns the right to play in the 1A competition in that year. This process will also occur between the 1B & 1C competitions. EXEC III. If the winner of the 1B or 1C competition declines the opportunity to play off, then the runner-up of the 1B or 1C competition will replace that team in the play-off match (I) and play-off (II) will not occur. The 1A team will have home advantage in the 1A/1B match. The 1B school will have home advantage over the 1B/1C match. IV. No invitations will be offered to schools to replace teams that decline promotion/relegation matches. V. Where a member school’s First XV or highest senior team does not wish to play in 1st grade, then the school must apply to the Executive Committee for competition placement. VI. All placements based on these competition rules and school input will be decided by the Executive Committee. 4.2 Non-Premier Grades (all grades below 1st Grade) The ASSRU and ARU accept that team entries may change however all team entries need to be confirmed by Queen’s Birthday Weekend by all member schools.

5. GAME AND COMPETITION RULES 5.1 Formats I. All formats to be determined by the Executive Committee and the ARU in consultation with School Delegates. All formats to be confirmed by Queens Birthday weekend to allow for any restructuring due to withdrawals & additions. II. Formats will be based on team entries received from member schools and after the results of grading games where required. Requests by schools to move a team up or down grades will need to be submitted to the Executive Committee before the competition starts. III. The Grade draws will be carried out by the Competition Committee. All competition games will be played at the time and venue decided by the Competition Committee. IV. In the event of a team being removed or added upon request to a competition after the start date

5.2 Allocation of Competition Points in Round Robin Competition I. Four for a win, II. two for a draw III. one for a loss within seven points. IV. A bonus point for scoring four tries or more shall apply to 1st grade only (incl. Boys & Girls 1st XV).

5.3 Allocation for team rankings in the event of more than one team earning the same number of competition points in the round robin competition. I. The winner of the game played between the two teams will have the higher ranking. II. The team that has the best for and against differential will be given the higher ranking. III. The team that has the highest points “for”, will be allocated the higher ranking. IV. The higher ranking will be decided by ballot.

5.4 Procedure to establish a winner in the event of a draw in the semi-finals. Note: World Rugby has mandated that there is no extra time in U19 Rugby I. The winner shall be the team that scored the most tries II. If the teams scored the same number of tries, the winner shall be the team that scored the first try III. If no tries were scored, the winner shall be the team that scored the first points IV. If no points were scored, the winner shall be the team that won the game between the two teams in the round robin competition. V. If the round robin competition game was drawn, then the winner will be the team that had the best for and against differential during round robin play will be given the higher ranking.

5.5 Procedure for a draw in the finals. Note: World Rugby has mandated that there is no extra time in U19 Rugby I. The game will be deemed a draw and the title will be shared by the competing teams. II. In the event of ranking being required following the final the highest ranked team will be based on the finishing spots after the competition round.

5.6 Timing of games I. All grade games will be scheduled by ARU and confirmed by the Executive Committee. II. Game times are set out as below: a. 1st grade & 2nd grade games shall be 35 minutes each half. b. All other grades shall be 30 minutes each half. III. Premier 1A will be played at 2.30pm; all other Premier 1st grade games will be played at 12.00pm IV. Protests regarding the competition will be made to the Executive Committee in accordance with By-law 7.

6. REFEREES I. The Auckland Rugby Referees Association endeavours to appoint official referees to all fixtures, however If no referee has been appointed or the appointed referee does not turn up it is the responsibility of the host school to appoint a suitably trained person - this person must have completed an Associate Referee within the last 3 years and completed the current year’s Rugby Smart course. II. If no trained referee can be appointed, the game must not be played, and teams will not receive any competition points for the game. Schools must refer to ASSRU By-law 5 Defaults, Forfeits & Rescheduling Matches III. In cases where the ARU appointed referee does not turn up, the host school should notify Cody Nielsen at the Auckland Rugby Union on the Monday following the game.

7. RULES RELATING TO THE ISSUING OF A BLUE CARD 7.1 A Blue Card may be issued by a fully trained and accredited referee in the event that the referee believes the player has suffered concussion. I. The issuing of a blue card covers all grades, levels and formats of II. The player must leave the field immediately and may not resume playing in the game. III. The player must follow the Blue Card player clearance procedure as outlined by the New Zealand Rugby Union before recommencing play. IV. In the event of a player returning to play that has not had the correct player clearance then at the sole discretion of the technical committee, the team of the offending player may be penalised: a. by losing any competition points derived from the match; or b. by having the teams’ competition points tally reduced by up to ten competition points. (This could mean the team ending up with a negative points tally.) V. Any coach or manager who plays a player that has not had the correct player clearance will be required to attend a technical hearing on the issue and may be subject to a further penalty at the sole discretion of the technical committee.

VI. If this rule is breached for any quarter-final, semi-final or final, the game will be forfeited by the offending team and the School of the offending team will be fined an amount not exceeding $500.00.

8. SCHOOL RESULTS I. All results must be sent to the ARU by Tuesday 5pm the week following games. II. Any school not confirming their results within seven days of playing a game will result in zero competition points being awarded to the school teams that have not sent in their results. III. Results for 1st grade games and any other grades where the four try bonus is offered, must include the number of tries for the allocation of bonus points. If the number of tries is not indicated, schools will not receive any bonus points. IV. Any deferred, altered or rescheduled matches that are not completed prior to the end of the competition round will be deemed a defaulted result and the non-offending team will be awarded the points as set out in ASSRU By-law 6: Defaults, Forfeits & Rescheduling V. All competition games must be played prior to the Semi-finals; those not played will be deemed to be defaulted. VI. All 1A and 1B team sheets must be sent to College Sport by 12 noon, on the Friday preceding the Saturday match day. For any mid-week matches, team sheets must be sent to College Sport 24 hours prior to the commencement of the mid-week fixture, through the appropriate communication process