S C H O O L S R U G B Y L EA G U E – C H A M P IO N S C H O O L T O U R N A M EN T R U L ES 2 0 16 /1 7

1. THETOURNAMENT1.1 The schools tournament shall be conductedunder the rules of theRugby Football League

(RFL)andshallbeorganisedbytheRFLthroughEnglishSchoolsRugbyLeague(ESRL)Board.1.2 Any team participating in the tournament shall agree to be bound by the RFL rules and

regulations,SchoolsRugbyLeaguetournamentrules,theRFLCommunityGamedisciplinarypolicyandanyotherassuchadoptedfromtimetotimebyESRLBoard.

2. INSURANCE

Itistheresponsibilityofeachparticipatingschooltoensuretheyhaveappropriateinsurancecover inplace forplayers in theeventof injuries sustained in the tournament.TheschooluponrequestbytheRFLmustprovideevidenceofinsurance.

3. TOURNAMENTENTRY3.1 Entry into the tournament shallbe reviewedannuallyandapplicationsmustbe submitted

beforethedeadlineprovidedbythedesignatedorganisingofficer.3.2 ThetournamentwillbeopentoanysecondaryschoolacrossEnglandandWales.

I. Secondaryschoolboys’teamsfromyear7throughtoyear11II. Secondaryschoolgirls’teamsfromyear7throughtoyear11

4. STARTANDENDDATEOFTHETOURNAMENT4.1.1 TheESRLBoardshalldeterminethecommencementdatesoftheRegionalthrough

tonationalstagesofthetournament.4.1.2 TheRFLorganisingcommitteeundertheguidanceoftheESRLboardwilldetermine

the precise structure of the tournaments as soon as the number of participatingteamshavebeenfinalised.

4.1.3 The regionalandnational structurewillbepublished toall schoolsparticipating inthetournamentatleastfourmonthsbeforethestartofthosestages.

4.1.4 Localstructureswillbepublishedtoallschoolsparticipating inthetournamentsatthestartofeachacademicyear.

4.1.5 Schoolsmust take part in their local competition structures as determined by the

ESRLBoard.IntheeventthatthereisnolocalcompetitiontheESRLBoard,attheirdiscretionmaygrantpermissionforaschooltoplayinanotherarea.

5. TOURNAMENTSTRUCTURE5.1 Inallgamesthefirstnamedteaminthedrawisthehometeamandthesecondnamedteam

istheawayteamincludingcentralvenuegames.

5.1.2 In the event of games being postponed or cancelled, in order to meet the regional andnational stage entry deadline, the tournament organiser in conjunction with the RFL willhavethepowertoranktheirteams.

5.1.3 All games will be played under international rules with reference to the following

exceptions:5.1.3.1 40/20willnotbeallowed.5.1.3.2 Sinbinlengthwillbe5minutesperplayer,peroffence.5.1.3.3Inthegirls’fixtures,kickingingeneralplayisallowed(nofieldgoalsorpenaltygoals).Goal

kicksfollowingatrytobetakenfrominfrontoftheposts.(Pleaseseeappendix1). BOYS5.2.1 The local stages will be played in the following formats depending on local provision,

knockout,roundrobin,festivalorleagueformat.5.2.2 Theregionalandnationalstageswillbeaknockoutformat.5.2.3 ThenationalstageswillbeaseededdrawdeterminedbytheESRLboardannually,thedraw

willbethesameforeachagegroup.5.2.4 Thenational roundone is split into twogroups,withpre-seededgamesdeterminedonan

annualbasisbytheESRLBoard.5.2.5 The semi-finalswill be played following the announced competition structure, at a venue

organisedbytheRFL.5.2.6 ThenationalfinalswillbeorganisedbytheRFLatacentralvenue.

GIRLS

5.3.1 The local and regional roundswill be played in the following formats depending on localprovision,roundrobin,festivalorleagueformat.

5.3.2 ThenationalstagesandvenuewillbeorganisedbytheRFL.5.3.3 ThenationalfinalswillbeorganisedbytheRFLatacentralvenue.6. PLAYERELIGIBILITY

6.1.1 To be eligible to participate in the Tournament a player must be on the roll and in

attendanceattheparticipatingschoolfromthestartoftheacademicyear.6.1.2 Tobeeligiblefortheteam,playersmustbethefollowingageon1stSeptember.

6.1.3 Aplayerisallowedtoplayuponeagegrouphoweverplayersarenotallowedtoplaydown

anagegroup,unlessthereareexceptionalcircumstancesagreedbytheESRLboard.6.1.4 Playerswhoareon thenationalplayerperformancepathways shouldnotplayat twoage

groups. The School should decide which year group they play at before the competitionbegins.

6.1.5 Noplayermayplayformorethanoneteamonanygivenday.

6.1.6Theselectionandfieldingofineligibleplayersshouldbereportedtothedesignatedorganisingofficerwithin24hoursofthegamebeingplayed,thiswillthenbereferredtotheESRLboardand the appropriate action taken. Any team found breaching regulations risksdisqualificationfromthetournament.

6.2 NumberofPlayers 6.2.1 Thenumberofplayersperboys’teamshallbe13-a-side.Atnationalrounds,teamswillbe

allowedupto4substitutes,maximumsquadsize is17.Thereisnolimitonthenumberofinterchangesallowed.At localandregionalstagesmaximumsquadsizewillbedeterminedbythelocalcoordinator.

6.2.2 Atkeystage3,thenumberofplayerspergirls’teamshallbe9-a-side.Teamswillbeallowed

upto6substitutesandthemaximumsquadsize is15.There isno limitonthenumberofinterchangesallowed.

6.2.3Atkeystage4,thenumberofplayerspergirls’teamshallbe11-a-side.Teamswillbeallowed

up to 4 substitutes, maximum squad size is 15. There is no limit on the number ofinterchangesallowed.

7. FIXTURES7.1 Theschoolshouldcontacttheopponentimmediatelyafterreceivingthedrawtoarrangethe

fixture,andwherepossibleplaythegamesinthefirstweekofthetimeslot.WherethereisadisagreementpleasecontacttheRFL.

7.2 Wherethehometeamisunabletoprovideasuitablevenueforthematch,thefixturecan

bereversedandplayedat theawayteamvenuetoensure thematch iscompletedby theduedate. If neither teamhas an available venue themattermustbe referred to theRFL,whowiththeguidanceoftheESRLboardwillhavepowertoextendthedatebywhichthegamemustbeplayed,ordecidewhichteamshallgoforwardtothenextround.

Ageon1September SchoolTeam11 Year712 Year813 Year914 Year1015 Year11

7.3 Ifthefixtureisreversedtheoriginalhometeamwillremainthehometeamandtheoriginalaway team will have the advantage if the game is drawn following golden point scoreperiods.

7.4 Ifateamfailstofulfila fixture,theywillbedeemedtohaveconcededthefixtureandwill

resultinawalkover. 7.5 The ESRL board reserves the right, in the case of a team conceding a match for no due

reasontosuspendtheteamfromthefollowingyear’stournament.7.6TomaintainthecontinuityoftheplayingprogrammetheRFLshallbeempowered,ifnecessary,

toamendafixturedateundertheguidanceoftheESRLboard.8. MATCHDAYOPERATIONS8.1.1 Whereahome tie is given, it is the responsibilityof thehome team toprovidea suitable

venueforthefixtureandappointaqualifiedmatchofficialfromalocalRefereesSociety.8.1.2 Exceptions include the regional and national semi-finals, regional and national finals and

girls’festivalswherethevenueandmatchofficialswillbeappointedbytheRFL.

8.1.3 Wherethehometeamisunabletoprovideasuitablevenue,thefixturecanbereversed,toensurethematchiscompletedbythedate.Ifneitherteamcanprovideasuitablevenue,themattermustbereferredtotheRFL.

8.1.4 Ifthefixtureisreversedtheoriginalhometeamwillremainthehometeamandtheoriginal

away team will have the advantage if the game is drawn following golden point scoreperiods.

8.1.5 In the caseof the referee societybeingunable to appoint a referee, thehome teammay

provide an impartial Teacher to act as referee or a neutral experienced referee from theschool,butonly if theaway team isnotifiedat least48hoursbefore the fixture isdue totakeplace.

8.1.6 Ifthehomesidecannotprovidearefereetheawayteammustbegiventheopportunityto

providesuitablerefereeforthegame.Bothschoolsplayinginthetournamentmustbeinfullagreementwiththesearrangementspriortothegamebeingplayed.

8.2 TransportThe RFL will endeavour to contribute towards the transport costs when reaching thenationalstages.Thiswillbeclarifiedatthebeginningofthetournament.

8.3 Accommodation

Itistheresponsibilityoftheschooltoarrangeandpayforallaccommodationforteamstravellingtogamesifappropriate.

8.4 MatchBalls In compliancewith the laws of the game the following sizematch ballsmust be used for

eachagegroup:BoysY7,Y8: Size4ball

BoysY9,Y10Y11: Size5ball GirlsY7,Y8 Size4ball GirlsY9,Y10,Y11 Size5ball 8.5 MatchDurationBoys8.5.1.2Thedurationofeachmatchshallbemeasuredbythematchofficialandshallbe:

Y7, 20minuteseachwaywith5minutehalftimeintervalY8,Y9 25minuteseachwaywith5minutehalftimeinterval

Y10,Y11 30minuteseachwaywith5minutehalftimeinterval8.5.1.2Intheeventthatthescoresarelevelatfulltimethenthewinnerswillbedecidedbyvirtueof

a“GoldenPointScore”i.e.asuddendeathfirstscore,willdeterminethewinner.Teamsaretotossacoinatthestartoftheperiodtodeterminewhowillkickoff.Teamsaretochangeendsafterthefirstperiodofplay.Therewillbeamaximumoftwoperiodsplayed.

8.5.1.3 Thedurationofeach“GoldenPointScore”periodshallbemeasuredby thematchofficial

andshallbe:Y7, 5minutesY8,Y9,Y10,Y11 7½minutesAftertwo“GoldenPointScore”periods,shouldthescorestillbelevel;

• Theteamscoringthemosttriesgoesthrough,• Ifbothteamsarelevel,theawayteamgoesthrough*

*AtNationalround1andthesemi-finals(duetobeingplayedataneutralvenue),thepolicyfollowingadrawaftergoldenpointextratimewillbeconfirmed.*Atthenationalfinals,thetrophywillbesharedintheeventofadrawaftergoldenpointextratime.WiththeexceptionofY7wherethetrophywillbesharedintheeventthatthereisadrawatfulltime.

Girls8.5.2.1Forfestivalformatsoverallplayingtimeshouldnotexceed60minutes.8.5.2.2ThedurationofeachsinglematchatKeyStage3,e.g.thenationalfinal,shallbemeasuredby

theMatchofficialandshallbe20minuteseachwaywitha5minutehalftimeinterval. 8.5.2.3ThedurationofeachsinglematchatKeyStage4,e.g.thenationalfinal,shallbemeasuredby

theMatchofficialandshallbe25minuteseachwaywitha5minutehalftimeinterval.8.5.3 Intheeventthatthescoresarelevelatfulltimeinthesemi-finalsthenthewinnerswillbe

decidedbyvirtueofa“GoldenPointScore”i.e.asuddendeathfirstscore,willdeterminethewinner.Teamsaretotossacoinatthestartoftheperiodtodeterminewhowillkickoff.Teamsaretochangeendsafterthefirstperiodofplay.Therewillbeamaximumoftwoperiodsplayed.

• 5minuteseachwaygoldenpointwillbeplayed• Shouldthescoresstillbelevel,thecompetitionorganiserwillconfirmthenext

stages.8.6 LateStart

Eachteamshallensurethatitsteamisreadytotakethefieldbeforethedesignatedkickofftimeasandwhendirectedbythematchofficials.Anyteamfailingtoadheretotheagreedstarttimemayresultinafixtureforfeit.

8.7 TeamSheet8.7.1 Theofficial teamsheetsmustbecompleted in fullprior tokickoffandshould include the

school name along with forename and surname (no initials) and date of birth, of allparticipantsandmustbehandedintothetournamentorganiserwhowillsendittotheRFLafterthegamesconclusion.

8.7.2 Eachschoolmustensurethatinformationprovidedonateamsheetisaccurateandcorrect.8.7.3 Failure to submit a team sheet, late submission, or false and misleading information on

playersandreplacementswillresultinaSchoolliabletosanctionsbytheESRLboard.8.8 ReportingResults8.8.1 For local and regional rounds it is the responsibility of the winning team to submit the

match result to their local tournamentorganiserwithin24hoursof thecompletionof thegame.ItistheresponsibilityofthelocalTournamentorganisertoinformtheRFLwithin24hours.

8.8.2 Thefollowinginformationshouldbesubmitted:

• Nameofwinningschool• Result• AgeGroup

8.8.3 ItistheresponsibilityoftheRFLtoobtainallresultsinthenationalrounds.8.9 Fieldingofineligibleplayers

The selection and fielding of ineligible players should be reported to the designatedorganising officer within 24 hours of the game being played. Any team found breachingregulationsrisksdisqualificationfromthetournament.TheESRLboardreservestheright,inthecaseofateamhavingbeenfoundguiltyoffieldinganineligibleplayerforthatteamtoseekre-election,facesuspensionorexpulsionfromthetournament.

8.10 AbandonmentofGames Ifagameisabandonedwithmorethanthree-quartersoftheplayingtimeelapsed,theresult

shallstandunlessotherwisedeterminedbytheRFL.Iflessthanthree-quartersoftheplayingtimehaselapsedtheESRLBoard,atitssolediscretion,mayorderagametobere-played.

8.11 Postponements8.11.1 Intheeventofthehometeamsuspectingthat itsgroundwillnotbefit forplay,owingto

adverseweatherconditionsorothercause,thehometeammust immediately informtheir

opposition,appointedmatchofficialandtheRFL.ThegamewillbereplayedunlesstheRFLspecifiesotherwise.

8.11.2 Ifonarrivalthematchofficialdeemsthegroundisnotfitforplay,andintheiropinionthereis no chance of it being so before the scheduled kick off, then that decision must becommunicatedimmediatelytothevisitingteamandtheRFL.ThegameshallbereplayedonadateagreedbytheRFL.

9. DISCIPLINE,SUSPENSIONSANDFINES9.1 Any disciplinary action relating to general misconduct in the stages prior to the regional

rounds of the competition the ESRL board would expect schools to deal with internallyfollowing the community game on field disciplinary guidelines (provided with thisdocument).

9.2 Anybreechofthetackleitpolicy,RFLsafeguardingpolicyorassaultonamatchofficialpriortotheregionalstageswillbedealtwithbyadisciplinarypanelappointedbytheESRLboard.Incidences must be reported to the RFL Education Officer, by the match official and orparticipatingschoolswithin48hoursofthegame.

9.3 All matters of discipline from the regional stages of the competition onwards must be

reported by the match official within 24 hours of the game and will be dealt with by adisciplinarypanelappointedbytheESRLboard.