2010 East Penn Rugby Referee Society Annual Clinic

1. 2010East Penn Rugby Referee SocietyAnnual Clinic

2. Welcome & Introductions President: David McHugh Vice President: Bill Bowen Secretary: Lance Orndorf Treasurer: Mike Cook Assignment Secretary (East): Len Borcky Assignment Secretary (West): Sherri Magnuson Training Officer: Chris Henshall

3. Agenda • Team Roles and Responsibilities • Laws & Law Rulings • Game Management Guidelines • Adverse Weather Policy • Referee Abuse • Discipline • Referee Match Report Form • Referees at Practice • EPRRS Monthly Meetings

4. Team Roles & Responsibilities Contact the Referee • Each team is responsible for contacting the referee no later than the Wednesday night prior to the match • Failure to contact the assigned referee by Wednesday night can result in the referee being assigned another match • The EPRRS makes every effort to have all match assignments posted no later than Wednesday morning – many times as early as Monday • Match Secretaries should diligently check the website to identify the referee assigned to the match

5. Team Roles & Responsibilities Contact the Referee (cont.) • If TBD appears as the assigned referee, the EPRRS is actively attempting to fill the slot • Feel free to contact your local Allocations Secretary – Len Borcky in the East and Sheri Magnuson in the West for further information • To access the assigned referee’s information, a Match Secretary should log in to the site and then click on the referee’s name to access information • If your match secretary is having issues logging into the site, contact Len Borcky for assistance

6. Team Roles & Responsibilities Match Day • On match day, each team is required to have a well-lined pitch and spectator ropes to allow room for the touch judges to run • Teams should have an individual willing and able to run touch • All goal posts must be properly padded prior to the match being started • All teams must have the ability to contact medical personnel prior to kick-off in case of an emergency

7. Team Roles & Responsibilities Match Day (cont.) • Referee payment should also occur prior to the match beginning • All items above should be in compliance with the EPRU Field Preparation and Sideline Policy • University sides that require a referee’s information should make an attempt to gather it as part of the mid-week contact with the referee. Clubs are also encouraged to familiarize themselves with the EPRRS prepayment plan. Failure to pay at the time of the match will result in an administrative fee of $20.00

8. Laws A current version of the Laws of the Game can be downloaded/viewed at: http://www.irb.com/lawregulations/laws/index.html

9. 2009 Law Rulings Law Ruling 4 – May 11, 2009 Defined player rights at the Tackle/Ruck transition. The ruling stated that a player onside and on their feet following a tackle may continue to play the ball upon creation of a ruck. Referees will attempt to identify this situation and allow the player to continue playing the ball. Players attempting to play the ball after a ruck has formed will continue to be penalized. If the initial player loses contact with the ball, he or she becomes a player in the ruck and may not make a second attempt to play the ball. Players on the ground must release the ball immediately.

10. 2009 Law Rulings Law Ruling 5 – August 10, 2009 Defined the procedure should a team need to go to uncontested scrums due to front row injuries. If a team does not have a healthy, trained front row player, the scrums will go uncontested, but the team may not replace the player on the field and will be forced to play down a man.

11. 2009 Law Rulings Law Ruling 7 – August 25, 2009 Reviewed the procedure of entering a ruck. The Law states that a player must join the ruck from his/her side of the ball and bind onto a teammate when entering. The new ruling allows a player to bind to an opponent if there is no teammate available due to the the ruck having moved. The ruling further defines the manner by which a player may bind onto an opponent. There must not be a shoulder charge, but a clear attempt to bind. Similarly, a player cannot join the ruck and disengage in an effort to repeatedly make contact with an opponent.

12. 2009 Law Rulings Law Ruling 9 – November 11, 2009 Clearly states that a receiver cannot run into the gap in a lineout until the ball has left the hands of the thrower.

13. 2010GAME MANAGEMENTGUIDELINES

14. Adverse Weather Policy • This policy applies to all matches played under the jurisdiction of the EPRU • Those played under MARFU or USA Rugby jurisdiction shall be bound by their policies • Rain or bad weather is an insufficient reason to cancel a match • Field policies and player safety (both traveling to and playing in the match) must be considered when making a game decision regarding inclement weather. • Either before or during the match, the referee has the power to cancel the match due to existing unsafe playing conditions in his or her opinion • Each home team should be aware of the rules governing use of its home pitch by the Owner of the field (i.e. Fairmount Park, University, Township, etc.) during adverse weather conditions • Any field restrictions should be communicated to opponents when scheduling and referees when confirming matches. If a field is closed by an Owner, the match is cancelled and must be rescheduled if it is a divisional play match

15. Adverse Weather Policy • If the current or pending weather is unfavorable, teams are expected to keep an open line of communication with their opponent and the referee involved. Open line of communication means phone calls with discussion or an active exchange of e-mails; one way communications are not acceptable (i.e. voicemail and/or emails without a reply) • If the decision is mutually reached to postpone the match, teams should communicate this to the referee, the EPRRS allocations secretary and appropriate EPRU coordinator immediately. Teams should set make-up match details by the Monday following the originally scheduled match and communicate them to the appropriate EPRU. Divisional play matches must take precedence over any 'friendly' matches.

16. Adverse Weather Policy • If a mutual rescheduling decision cannot be reached between the teams and the referee, both teams should contact their respective EPRU coordinator outlining the details surrounding the disagreement. Note: this should be a very last resort, teams are expected to work out match details on their own as much as possible and come to an appropriate decision. Both teams involved are expected to be respectful of their opponent's situation as well as uphold their commitment to play the match. Failure to make up a match will result in 0 or negative points awarded to each team depending on the circumstances; a team may receive 1 match report point if they have communicated with their EPRU coordinator regarding the match. Further disciplinary action or fines may be assessed depending on the circumstances

17. Referee Abuse Referee Abuse is one of the largest obstacles for the Society as they attempt to retain referees. Teams must be mindful that newer referees have been assigned to their match and that abusing the referee is not a productive way to vent frustration. Coaches and Club Administrators should be mindful about creating a culture that tolerates the abuse of referees or opponents by their team, their staff, or their spectators.

18. Referee Abuse Referee Abuse is one of the largest obstacles for the Society as they attempt to retain referees. Teams must be mindful that newer referees have been assigned to their match and that abusing the referee is not a productive way to vent frustration. Coaches and Club Administrators should be mindful about creating a culture that tolerates the abuse of referees or opponents by their team, their staff, or their spectators.

19. Playing the Referee

20. Discipline EPRRS adheres to a strict policy. Referees are required to report both Yellow and Red card. Adjudication is done by the appointed disciplinary committee and based on the reports given by the referee and any other supporting evidence.

21. Referee Match Report Form • To gain a better understanding of how the individual referees are performing on a weekly basis, the EPRRS has added a simple Match Report form to the EPRRS website (www.eastpennrugby.org) • We encourage teams to complete the form after every match as the more feedback we have, the easier it will be for us to identify development opportunities for our referees

22. Referees at Practice • In order to help teams better understand any of the laws of the game, the EPRRS would like to reaffirm its willingness to send one of our members to a practice or classroom setting for an opportunity to discuss and provide players a greater understanding of all of the laws and guidelines of the game • Please feel free to contact the EPRRS at any time to make use of this opportunity

23. EPRRS Monthly Meetings • As a reminder to all, the EPRRS holds monthly meetings to discuss rugby and refereeing • This would be a good opportunity for players and coaches to gain further insight into how the referees are calling certain aspects of the game and the reasons for doing so • It will also give Club personnel the opportunity to have an audience with a number of referees to better understand the game

24. END