GENERAL TOURNAMENT RULES AND GUIDELINES

Tournament Day Registration

On each day of the Tournament, age group Head Coaches are required to register the presence of their squad at the Team Registration desk at least an hour before the team’s first game. A maximum 14 players shall be registered per team for the tournament (this will apply to pool and Cup Finals).

Age Groups

All players participating should be able to prove their Date of Birth if requested to do so.
The Tournament Director reserves the right to demand proof of players’ identity and eligibility at any time during the event. Failure to provide adequate proof of eligibility will result in the player not being allowed to take part in the event.
Copies of the following will be acceptable forms of proof of age:
a) Passport
b) NRIC/FIN
c) Photo bus pass
d) Copy of Birth Certificate

In addition to the above, the Tournament Director shall have the right to request that a player is not permitted to play if his size (weight/height) is deemed to pose a potential threat to the safety of the other players or to her/himself.

Age Dispensations

Age group dispensations shall only be granted in specific circumstances – for example where the safety of that player would be compromised by playing in their formal age group or pose a risk to the safety of others. The Tournament Director will sign-off before the tournament and commencement of play. Previous dispensations (such as for the JRCS league) will be taken into account but are not necessarily deemed as precedent.

Note 1: Girls playing contact rugby will be allowed automatic dispensation to play down one age group up to and including age U12 (no mixed rugby is permitted from U13 and above). To encourage and allow girls already playing mixed contact up to age U12 to join the girls contact team (Singapore Valkyries) we are permitting girls to register for both a mixed team and the Valkyries in their respective age groups.

Points scoring and results

The Referee will sign the result slip for the match with the Pitch Marshal in the Playing Area.
It is then the responsibility of the Coach of each team to approach the Pitch Marshal after the game to sign the form. These forms will be maintained at the Scorer’s area and in the event of a dispute over the result of a match, the Referee’s decision, having consulted the result slip, will be final. The Referee / Pitch Marshal shall mark on the result slip for each game the name of the team that scored the first points. In case a coach does not sign the form, they cannot appeal any decision made.

Transfer of players between teams

Players can only be named in one team for the duration of the tournament over both weekends (with the general exception noted for girls playing for Valkyries and their Club age group team). Swapping players between teams (save for the circumstances below) will result in forfeit of the game.

With this principle being established, it is also understood that in certain situations teams may be short of players (i.e. due to injury) and need to borrow players from other teams. In this circumstance, the onus will be on the Head Coach to ensure that any borrowing of players is in the right spirit of the game (and primarily as replacements) and purely to assist with conduct of the game (for numbers / to avoid player fatigue) and not “tactical” (i.e. as a game-changer / to gain a competitive advantage) and must be agreed in advance by the opposition Head Coach who is asked to consider any request in good faith.

Pool points

Points will be awarded as follows:

• Win (or walk-over*) = 4 points
• Draw = 2 points • Loss=1

• No Show / Walkover = 0

The Pitch Marshal shall determine when a side is more than three minutes late in being on the field ready to play, in which case a walkover shall be awarded. In the event of a walk-over / no- show, the score will be deemed to be a three tries to nil win.

In the event of a tie

There will be no extra time played given time constraints and no contingency built into schedule.

• At the pool stages
  If two (or more) teams in the same Pool finish on equal points then their final positions shall be determined by, and in order of priority:
  1. Difference in points scored over points conceded (+/-) in the pool stages
  2. Most tries scored in the pool stages
  3. The team that won when the tied teams met
  4. The team that scored first when the tied teams met
  5. A coin-toss by the referee
• In the event of a tie in the trophy finals
  In the event of a tie the team scoring first shall be deemed the winner. In the case of there being a nil – nil result the trophy will be shared.

Duration and timing of matches

The referee shall whistle the actual kick-off and end of the matches.
Timing of matches may vary from the published schedule (i.e. due to rain delays) and teams should take note that start times will always be determined by the playing order. If a team is not on the pitch and ready to kick off immediately following completion of the previous game (once the pitch is cleared) they will risk forfeit of the game.

Kick-off and Ends

There will be no coin toss. The team named first in the fixture list will start the game, the team named second will chose ends.

Substitution of Players

Substitutions can be made at any suitable stoppage point during a game but must be with the referee’s permission. There are no restrictions on the number of substitutions during a game and players may return having been substituted.

Sending Off

Any U13 and above player sent off the field by the Referee for a red card offence will not be permitted to take any further part in the day’s play (coaches are requested to adhere to the Referee’s ruling and counsel the player). Any further participation by that player in the Tournament shall only be granted by appeal to the Tournament Director, who will give due regard to the nature of the sending off following a referee’s report.

Instructed Substitution

At U12 and below, the use of a card will be limited to cases of serious foul play only. In the event of an offence that at U13 and above would warrant a “yellow card”, a warning shall be given and in case the offence is repeated the Referee shall instruct the coach that the player must be substituted. Once a player is substituted at the Referee’s instruction, that player may not take further part in the game (the coach should ensure that the players involved fully understand what the offence was).

Blood Bin

A player who has an open or bleeding wound must leave the playing area to receive medical attention. Such player may be replaced. The injured player may return to the field of play once the bleeding has been stopped or dressed.
Stoppage of Play and On-Field Attendants

Injuries shall not necessarily stop play unless the referee deems the injury requires immediate attention. Most injuries should be attended to immediately by the medics and/or coaches. The referee shall allow medical attendants to enter the field of play to attend to the injured player at any time. If deemed necessary, the match shall be stopped to allow unhindered attention to the injured person, however, no stoppage time shall be played given the tight schedule.

Coaching

A maximum of two coaches can remain within the marked coaching area (within the playing area) and adhere to JRCS guidelines on behaviour at all times. An additional on-field coach is permitted for for age groups up to and including U8.

Foul Play and Bad Language

Foul play and bad language will not be tolerated either on or off the field.

On the field the referee will penalise and be permitted to take the extreme action of sending off (red card) a player for foul play or bad language if he/she deems it appropriate. Once the captain is warned, the whole team is on notice. Once sent off (red card), that player may not take part in the rest of the tournament, unless at the Tournament Director’s discretion.

Off the field the Pitch Marshal shall be permitted to take action as needed, but we ask as a strong preference that respective Coaches and parents / spectators self-manage this to ensure a constructive and friendly playing environment for the benefit of players.

Respect for Referees

The Referee’s decision on the pitch shall be final.
Coaches are required to respect the Referee in front of their players. Coaches wishing to provide constructive comments on points of law to a Referee should explain them to the Pitch Marshal who will pass on the comments to the Head Referee for discussion with the Referee in question.

Tournament Director

The Tournament Director may, at his sole discretion and at any time, make any judgement, announcement or ruling necessary for the safe, fair and timely running of the tournament, including amendment of these rules. Any such action by the Tournament Director shall, without recourse, be binding on the respective teams, players, coaches or affected persons.

AGE SPECIFIC TOURNAMENT RULES

Please refer to the separate guidance pages for specific information relating to age groups.

These guidelines have been developed taking into account the relevant JRCS age group rules with a “safety first” lens, to ensure that the well-being and enjoyment of players are paramount.

Modifications have been made with due regard for other considerations such as pitch size, game duration and the nature of the 7s game.

GENERAL TOURNAMENT INFORMATION

Inclement Weather Protocol

In case of lightning, heavy rain or other inclement weather conditions (i.e. in the case that a pitch is deemed unplayable) a decision will be taken by the Tournament Director to halt play until it is deemed safe and fit to resume – in the case of lightning with due reference to Meteorological Service Singapore advisories, and in the case of heavy rain when there is no longer “ponding” on the field.

Halt in play / resumption of play notice:

• Three long, loud blasts of the claxon will signal a halt in play and all players andspectators will be asked to move immediately to shelter.
• One long claxon blast shall signal the ALL CLEAR and play will resume on theTournament Director’s announcement.As much as possible the Tournament Organisers will seek to accommodate delays due to unforeseen circumstances (i.e. unusual weather or any other unexpected circumstances) in order to complete the order of play, by altering the format of the Tournament / shortening game durations etc., however, in the event of prolonged delays the Tournament Director has discretion to abandon an age group competition to allow commencement of subsequent age groups. In this event the Tournament Director will have sole discretion in determining pool placings, taking games played and other factors into account.

As a worst case working assumption:

• All matches in progress and subsequently called off will be cancelled and the score at that time will be considered the final score. Every effort will be made to allow those matches to end on time but without endangering anyone.
• All future matches affected by the break will be cancelled and considered a 2-2 draw. Unfortunately there is absolutely no contingency in the time table for rescheduling weather -affected matches.The Playing AreaThe Roped off area around the pitch may only be entered by officials, medics and players & coaches involved in the game in progress – the only permissible exception being to attend to an injured player.
  The substitutes shall be seated in the designated chairs and not walk the line.The restriction on numbers inside the ropes is to promote the safety of players.

Playing Schedule

Coaches, Players and assigned Referees and Touch Judges should register with the Marshal at least five minutes before the start of each game (before the end of the preceding game) and must be ready to start immediately the pitch becomes available.

Teams must vacate the pitch immediately the match is finished to allow the next game to start.

Referees and touch judges (referees’ assistants)

At Under 6, 7, 8 & 9 a neutral coach will officiate.
For Under 10 and above, tournament referees will be assigned.
Touch judges (referees’ assistants) are to be provided by participating teams. Flags will be passed to each team by the Pitch Marshals.

Medics and First Aid

Qualified medical cover will be provided during all pool games and finals.

OTHER USEFUL INFORMATION

Presentation of trophies and medals

• Presentation to Plate, Bowl and Shield winners – 27th & 28th October 2018
  • For all age groups, presentation of trophies to Plate, Bowl and Shield winners will take place immediately after the respective final
  • No individual medals will be given for Plate, Bowl and Shield
  • Unfortunately due to financial considerations and environmental concerns we have decided not to give participation medals
• Presentation to Cup winners – 3rd and 4th November 2018 o For all age groups
  • Presentation of trophies to Cup winners will take place at the Awards Podium situated near to the main club-house immediately after the respective final.
  • Cup winners and Cup runners-up will each receive a medal

Lastly and importantly, many thanks to all of the SCC Rugby Academy’s loyal sponsors, without their support none of what we do at the SCC Rugby Academy would be possible: