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SCRFU
Operating Policies

Table Of Contents

Table Of Contents        2

Introduction        3

Eligibility        4

Club Eligibility        4

Player Eligibility        5

Competitions        6

Master Schedule        6

XVs        6

MAKEUP WEEKENDS        7

7s        7

Scoring/Standings        7

Referee Allocation/Requests        7

Match Add/Changes        7

Match Confirmation (Monday Protocol)        8

Competition Management System (CMS)        8

Fines        9

Overtime Policy        10

Tiebreakers in Standings        10

Field Policies        11

Technical Zones        11

ADDITIONAL FIELD POLICIES AND TECHNICAL ZONES (TZ)        12

Waiver Request        13

Unsatisfactory Conditions        13

Forfeiture of Matches        15

SCORING        15

Risk & Safety        16

Uniform & Equipment Guidelines        17

Advertising & Logo Guidelines        18

All Star/Griffins Guidelines        19

Duties and Definitions        20

SCRFU Duties        20

SCRFU Definitions        20

Introduction

Any sections or subsections of this document are subject to any current or future directives of USA Rugby and the Southern California Rugby Football Union (SCRFU). SCRFU is a geographical union (GU) based upon a combination of club density in an area and natural geographical boundaries. SCRFU organizes and administers member clubs within our GU.

The Southern California Rugby Football Union (SCRFU) organizes, administers, controls and regulates the game of Rugby Union Football for the clubs that are its members within the geographic area. If you’d like to understand the roles of these groups a bit more, reach out to your Division Rep and/or SCRFU Secretary to discuss. All questions or disputes relating to these operating procedures should be referred to the SCRFU Board for review and resolution.

Duties and Definitions

SCRFU Duties

SCRFU organizes, administers, controls and regulates the game of Rugby Union for the clubs that are its members within the geographic area its members agree. SCRFU shall organize, control and administer rugby games between regional bodies and visiting clubs as necessary. SCRFU is a conference of USA Rugby that answers to the Senior Club Council.

SCRFU Definitions

  1. Less than 40 minutes: If a match is not played for at least 40 minutes in a single day, the match result shall not stand and any/all future re-matches shall start from the first minute.
  1. Example: A match with a score of 12-7 that is stopped in the 30th minute on a Saturday may not be resumed on Sunday. The match starts over on Sunday in the 1st minute with a score of 0-0.
  1. 40 and 60 minutes: If a match is played for at least 40 minutes, but not played for at least 60 minutes, the match may be suspended and re-started at the time it was stopped at a future date.
  1. Example: A match with a score of 17-12 that is stopped in the 48th minute on a Saturday may be resumed on Sunday in the 48th minute with a score of 17-12.

Eligibility

Club Eligibility

Member Clubs must comply with the following criteria to be a member in good standing and remain eligible to play in a SCRFU League match, SCRFU Championship, or represent SCRFU at a USA Rugby Playoff or Championship.

  1. SCRFU CLUB APPLICATION: a club must apply and be formally approved as a member club by SCRFU. Please email secretary@scrfu.org for more information on this process.
  2. SCRFU APPROVAL: Clubs must first be approved by SCRFU as a Club member and then request approval by SCRFU for competitive play:
  1. SCRFU will determine a Club’s competitive division upon acceptance to the union.
  1. USA RUGBY CLUB REGISTRATION: Annual Registrations are officially required after the closure of the previous season on August 31. The registration opens before Sept 1 expiration of the previous season. All clubs attending sanctioned SCRFU events, matches and/or meetings, must be “In Compliance/Good Standing” within the portal (currently RugbyXplorer) prior to participation.
  2. PLAYER REGISTRATION: Encourage club members to register as a player for SCRFU Clubs once registration is open.
  3. TOUCH JUDGE: a Club must provide one (1) touch judge for every match. Ideally, the individual has been trained and received USA Rugby Touch Judge Certification.
  4. GOOD STANDING: a Club must be in “Good Standing” with SCRFU, and USA Rugby. Good standing implies that the club has registered with USA Rugby and shows as “In Compliance” by meeting the minimum standards required by USA Rugby. In addition to USA Rugby compliance, a Club must have no outstanding disciplinary actions, dues, fines, assessments, and/or other debts to SCRFU, and USA Rugby. A Club must meet all standards required or imposed by SCRFU, and USA Rugby.
  5. A club not considered in “Good Standing” are ineligible to participate in any of the following:
  1. SCRFU League matches (including SCRFU playoffs, USA Regionals and USA Nationals.
  2. SCRFU sanctioned tournaments, events or any form of match (friendly matches will require approval from SCRFU Board) with a SCRFU Member Club.
  3. Any official SCRFU Meeting (AGM, FGM).
  4. Participate in planning, scheduling and or discussions pertaining to SCRFU and member clubs.

Player Eligibility

SCRFU handles all matters of player eligibility and follows the USA Rugby Eligibility Guidelines (http://usarugby.org/eligibility).

All SCRFU divisional leagues follow the USA Rugby Eligibility Guidelines unless otherwise documented.

Competitions

SCRFU will create the various divisional league schedules. These schedules will then be electronically shared with representative members of each division as FINAL. Clubs will have a 15-Day window to request adjustments, note errors and alert SCRFU to any matches outside of the “traditional” Saturday afternoon time slots, including requests to play on alternative days of the week and/or outside the 10am–3pm kickoff times.

After the above Waiting Period, schedules will be locked and input into the Competition Management System (CMS), currently RugbyXplorer (RX), for official use throughout the season. Any schedule changes requested by a team after the schedule has been locked will be made at the discretion of SCRFU.

Divisions and Club Allocation

All SCRFU member club teams will be allocated to a Competition within the defined NCS Pathway eligible divisions. The structure and distribution of clubs within the divisions will be determined by the SCRFU Board in efforts to create the most competitive season schedules possible. This may periodically require evaluation and realignment, including Promotion & Relegation policies (link), to prepare our SCRFU representative clubs for the pursuit of a USA Club Rugby National Championship.

Eligibility

SCRFU handles all matters of player eligibility and follows the USA Rugby Eligibility Guidelines (http://usarugby.org/eligibility).

All SCRFU divisional leagues follow the USA Rugby Eligibility Guidelines unless otherwise documented.

XVs Master Schedule

Scheduling for SCRFU and SCRFU XVs season generally begins after the Fall General Meeting (FGM) to accommodate new club requests, competition adjustments and allow clubs time to assess player recruitment. In addition to the basic requirement of being considered in “Good Standing”, Clubs wishing to have Teams be included in the SCRFU League Schedule will have until November 15 to meet all SCRFU minimum club requirements (which will be announced/communicated by September 1) or be removed/left-off the schedule(s).

Each divisional match schedule should be finalized and entered into the CMS prior to the first scheduled match.

The competitive SCRFU Season will generally be played January-April, with SCRFU Division Finals being held 2 weeks prior to USA Rugby Super Regionals. Super Regionals are held 2-3 weeks prior to USA Rugby Club National Championships (typically 1 week before Memorial Day Weekend). These timeframes and gaps can change as needed to accommodate any scheduling adjustments made by USA Rugby Senior Club Council.

Division Reps responsible for schedules are encouraged to reach out to the member teams prior to producing the schedule to incorporate any potential requested block out dates. However, there are no guarantees that these requests will be honored. The SCRFU divisional representatives should work closely with the SCRFU Board to ensure the league scheduling process goes smoothly.

MAKEUP WEEKENDS

Generally, makeup weekends are included in the schedule and may include holiday weekends and any available weekends before SCRFU playoffs. We urge clubs to leave these weekends open as long as possible to use for matches that needed to be rescheduled due to inclement weather or other issues.

VIIs Season and Scheduling

Scheduling for the 7s season generally begins in early spring. SCRFU 7s information will be updated on the SCRFU website prior to the first event. As needed, separate 7s specific policies and procedures document(s) will be available.

Scoring/Standings

Table points are determined by the standard rugby union point system:

Referee Allocation/Requests

All clubs are encouraged to have match officials assigned to matches via Southern California Rugby Referee Society (SCRRS). Upon completion of our competitive divisional schedules, SCRFU works with SCRRS to expedite the allocation of match officials to all league/regular season matches. Match Assignments are posted on the SCRRS Website. Match Officials for non-league/friendly matches can be requested on the site also.

Clubs are responsible for making payment to SCRRS upon receipt of invoices for all services provided. Failure to stay in “good standing” with SCRRS may result in the inability to have referees assigned to matches, and possible off-field forfeiture of any match where an official has not been assigned or fails to show.

MATCH ADD/CHANGES

If changes to the Master Schedule need to be made, clubs must contact their Division Rep, Match Secretary and SCRFU Vice President to review and allow changes.

Match Confirmation (Monday Protocol)

Clubs are required to send a Match Confirmation/Monday Protocol Email to communicate match details with the referee team,  their opponents, and SCRFU Officials by Monday 9pm before any home match. Please use the template and include the proper contacts for referees, opponents and SCRFU. If there is a possibility that the match details may change, include that alert/warning in the Monday Protocol email and include all parties involved on any updates. Be aware that inclement weather may require that the match be moved to the AWAY team field if the HOME team cannot secure an alternative location. (See Rain/Rescheduling Policy)

If such notification(s) do not occur, opponents and referees are instructed to reach out to the host team. If there is no communication between the host club and all parties, the match may be considered a forfeit or rescheduled (if possible and the opponent agrees).

Competition Management System (CMS)

All matches will be tracked using the USA Rugby Competition Management System (CMS) in RX or the Rugby Match Day App (available for free in Apple or Google stores). Along with verifying players are registered, the software also tabulates standings that help finalize Championships.

  1. Club Administrator – Establish a Club Administrator for each competitive season. This person MUST REGISTER AS ADMINISTRATOR/VOLUNTEER role and complete the verification process to be the active/assigned Club Admin within RX.
  2. Team Administrator(s) – Establish at least one (1) Team Administrator in RX. This role is assigned by the Club Administrator for each team the club has entered into competition. There is no additional role required during registration.
  3. Pre Roster (Friday Protocol) – By 7pm on Friday night before the match, clubs must enter their preliminary match roster in RX. Before kickoff of the match, both teams must provide a copy of that roster to an opposition representative on paper. Any changes to the actual game-day roster, including potential reserves, must be indicated in RX and the paper roster submitted to the opposition. The preliminary roster will indicate name, Registration #, position, jersey number, front-row eligibility, and citizenship/eligibility.
  4. ID Check – Prior to the match, each club shall provide the opposition club a confirmed match roster and have each player provide Identification in person. The ID (and/or Proof of Citizenship) can be provided electronically but the player must be present to validate its accuracy.
  1. Authorization – An authorized representative of each club shall verify, by signature on both preliminary rosters, that they have read the information contained in the opposition club’s roster and that they have examined the opposition club’s eligibility information (ID and Citizenship). This process of verification constitutes a waiver of the right to future challenge of the eligibility of players or the validity of the match roster. It verifies that the representative has examined the opposition’s portion of the Match roster and the opposition’s eligibility file.
  1. Disputes - A protest can be raised for good cause, which shall be determined at the sole discretion of the SCRFU Board. All protests, must be raised, noted on the match report, and emailed to the SCRFU Match Secretary, prior to the start of the match. The SCRFU Board will review all protests and make a determination within 7 days.  
  2. Post Match – After the match both clubs shall edit (if needed) the preliminary match roster in RX. Teams shall enter all appropriate match information for their club in the post-match report before Monday at 5pm. Matches will be locked after 5pm each Monday. The final match information must include:
  1. Final match roster
  2. Scores: type, time, and player
  3. Substitutions: type, time, and player
  4. Disciplinary action: yellow or red cards (including player and time of infraction)
  1. Matches Locked – CMS entries will be locked on Mondays at 5pm. Teams can request matches to be unlocked for a $25 fee/per request. The “unlock fee” is in addition to any fines (below) incurred due to repeated incidents. CMS data is the cornerstone of our competitions and helps determine overall standings and representatives at playoffs and Championships. Further, the locking of matches prevents teams from altering match data after the fact, and is a built-in safeguard to the system.

FINES

Failure to comply with any of the above requirements or refusal to provide the required information is sufficient grounds for sanctions for the offending club including match forfeiture, disqualification, and/or monetary fines. Recommended fines shall be as follows:

Further infractions shall be sent to SCRFU Disciplinary Committee or SCRFU Competitions Committee as appropriate.

Overtime Policy

The SCRFU Overtime Policy adheres to the USA Rugby Overtime Policy for our Divisional Playoffs and SCRFU Finals. There is NO OVERTIME for regular season league matches.

Forfeiture of Matches

SCRFU handles the competitive aspect as well as rescheduling (if any) responsibilities. SCRFU reviews forfeitures of matches and will assess if penalties should be applied.

SCORING

All forfeits, both off-field and played forfeits, will result in:

Forfeiture of matches is taken seriously and SCRFU applies these policies with the intent to assure assigned matches are played. In addition to the SCORING implications above, forfeiture of matches can result in penalties/sanctions impacting the team and/or parent club in regards to post season play, and competition assignment(s). The type of forfeit is an essential aspect of determining how penalties/sanctions are applied in each occurrence.

See FORFEITURE OF MATCHES for details.

Tiebreakers in Standings

Ties in the standings based on competitive points only will be broken by the SCRFU Tiebreaker Policy, which closely follows World Rugby Ranking Policy.

If at the completion of the regular season/league matches, two or more teams are level on Match Points, then the following criteria shall be used in the following order until one of the teams can be determined as the higher ranked:

  1. POINT DIFFERENTIAL: The team which has the best difference between points scored for and points scored against in all its regular season/league matches shall be the higher ranked.
  2. TRIES SCORED DIFFERENTIAL: The team which has the best difference between tries scored for and tries scored against in all its regular season/league matches shall be the higher ranked.
  3. MOST POINTS: The team which has scored most points in all its regular season/league matches shall be the higher ranked.
  4. MOST TRIES: The team which has scored most tries in all its regular season/league matches shall be the higher ranked.

For clarification, in the case of a tie between three or more teams at the end of the pool phase, once the highest ranked team has been determined by following the above criteria, to determine the next higher ranked team the process would repeat, starting at criterion 1.

Field Policies

The below safety guidelines are for teams and tournaments and are supplied to ensure player and participant welfare in and around sanctioned events. Every effort should be made to meet the requirements prescribed by USA Rugby and World Rugby. In the event of complaints or safety concerns, SCRFU reserves the right to review the field setup and require adjustments.

Technical Zones

Technical zones will be used at ALL matches or tournament events. These are in addition to all other normal field policies. All coaches, players, medics, etc., will remain behind the ropes and in their technical zone. Effectively the entire technical zone will now be behind ropes where the “team bench” was previously. Individuals (including coaches) are no longer permitted to stand in front of the ropes.

The Technical zone (TZ) is defined as space in front of the rope/barrier between the 10m line and 22m line. The technical zone will consist of three separate areas: a Team 1 box, an administrative area and a Team 2 box. These technical zones will be painted/roped/coned on the field along with the field of play markings by the home team.

Please download the updated technical diagram (below) for further clarification:

New TRU Rugby Pitch Technical Zones

DOWNLOAD PDF HERE

ADDITIONAL FIELD POLICIES AND TECHNICAL ZONES (TZ)

  1. The home club must provide a properly marked field for all matches in accordance with the Laws of the Game and published guidelines of SCRFU. Recommended playing surface should be grass or artificial all-weather turf. Fields should be free of debris such as glass, protrusions, divots, etc.
  2. Sideline barriers or ropes are required a minimum 5m off the touchline on both sides of the field, Dead-Ball Line to Dead-Ball Line.
  3. Teams, staff and players of both teams will be on the opposite side of spectators, separated at the 50m and will remain in their respective technical area.
  1. No more than 2 coaches are allowed in the technical zone
  2. Coaches, players and reserves may not leave their own TZ
  3. Team benches should also be between the 10m line and 22m line and can be inside or behind the TZ
  4. #4 (Fourth Official) or Match Manager (data tracker) occupies the space between the 10m lines (Administrative Area)
  5. Chairs may be set up in the Administrative Area for disciplinary/sin bin purposes
  6. If a team has extenuating circumstances that doesn’t allow for teams to be on the opposite side of spectators, they may request a waiver from SCRFU no later than 1 week prior to the match . If a waiver is granted it will be specific to the particular playing venue and may need to be updated by the requesting club periodically.
  1. Teams may have up to two medical professionals “in front of the rope”
  1. Medical personnel should always introduce themselves to the match official(s) before the match begins
  2. Medical professionals may roam either sideline and are not confined to the TZ
  3. Second medical professional must be across from first medical professional on opposite sideline
  4. Coaches are not allowed onto the field with medical personnel unless explicitly allowed by the match official
  1. Water carriers must stay “behind the rope” unless the match official signals that they may enter the playing field
  1. Water carriers should endeavor to wear a top that clashes with players on the field
  2. Coaches may not serve as water carriers
  3. Coaches should not huddle with teams on the field after scores
  1. All goal posts in the field of play must be padded. All field flags must be break-away.
  2. The home club shall provide a minimum of two (2) properly inflated rugby match balls, in good playing condition, so as to carry on the match without substantial delay.

WAIVER REQUEST

SCRFU understands that not all clubs will be able to comply with these new requirements due to field space or limitations with their facility. Clubs can submit a Field Setup Waiver Request to match-info@scrfu.org. The SCRFU Board will review each waiver request and let teams know if they are granted. We would recommend including as much detail and supporting documentation, such as photos, as possible.

UNSATISFACTORY CONDITIONS

If fields are considered to be unsafe, and a complaint/protest is reported to SCRFU prior to kickoff, SCRFU reserves the right to review the situation and make rulings teams must abide by. When possible, the Home Team should do what is possible to minimize issues and address any opposition concerns. The game should not be played if there is a significant safety concern.

The following procedures should be followed on game day and/or in the case of a citing:

Risk & Safety

Please review our Risk & Safety Policy which includes measures for early notification of matches postponed due to severe weather, Safety Guidelines and our lightning policy.

Uniform & Equipment Guidelines

SCRFU, following USA Rugby guidelines, shall conform to World Rugby Law 4 on uniforms and equipment. SCRFU reserves the right to apply any further restrictions at any time.

Advertising & Logo Guidelines

In the event of complaints regarding a club’s/teams marketing, promotion, social media and general communications, SCRFU will refer to the USA Rugby/World Rugby guidelines. These guidelines conform to World Rugby regulations on advertisers and manufacturer’s logos, and further restrictions implemented by SCRFU or USA Rugby may apply.

All Star/Griffins Guidelines

The SCRFU Griffins Managers, appointed by the Board, shall coordinate the provision of coaching, managing, training, selection, and match scheduling for representative sides for SCRFU

Each participating player must be a member of a SCRFU sanctioned club and be in good standing with their Club, SCRFU, and USA Rugby.

Violations

It is a violation for a club to knowingly violate any of the above listed criteria. Such violations may result in fines and /or sanctions for the offending club.