League Regulations

Abuse of referees or officials will not be tolerated. Referees have the full power to sin bin and send off players from Try Tag Rugby matches. Try Tag Rugby will hand out lengthy penalties for violent, unsporting or intimidating behaviour against staff or referees.

In the case where a match needs to be abandoned due to factors other than what have occurred on the pitch (e.g weather, flood light failure etc) a result stands if:

• in a regular 40 minute match, half-time has been reached.
• in a shortened or twenty minute match, at least 75% of match time has been played.

If these conditions are met, the match result will be counted as the score at the time that the match was abandoned. If not, the match will be replayed if possible.

In order to avoid a forfeit a team must have 4 registered players present at kick-off time for a result to stand in an official 7-a-side match (3 registered players for 6-a-side, 5 registered players for 8-a-side).

Even if your team is struggling to raise a full squad, you should always make an effort to get all available players to show up. If less than the required number of players show up, a social match can still be run.

If your team must forfeit, please notify Try Tag Rugby at least 24 hours prior to kick-off so that your opposition can be informed. Teams that forfeit on late notice will be heavily penalised.

A team forfeiting will be recorded as a 10-0 loss. Additional penalties will be applied to teams in the following circumstances:

• Less than 24 hours notice of a forfeit and not providing 2 or more players to play a friendly
  – 1 competition point deducted
• Notice after 4pm on match day (Mon-Fri evening leagues) and not providing 2 or more players to play a friendly
  – 2 competition points deducted
• Notice after noon on Friday (Weekend leagues) and not providing 2 or more players to play a friendly
  – 2 competition points deducted
• Giving no notice of forfeiting and not showing up
  – 3 competition points deducted

If a team forfeits 2 matches in one season “After 4pm on match day in Mon-Fri evening leagues, on the day in weekend leagues or complete no show”, Try Tag Rugby reserves the right to remove the team from the league.

Teams may use a ringer or ringers if they are short of players for their match.  Please read below for the restrictions.

Number of ringers allowed:

• A mixed team may have one and only one male ringer as long as this brings them to no more than one male sub.
• In addition, a mixed team may have one and only one female ringer as long as this brings them to no more than one female sub.
• In men’s or ladies leagues a team may have up to two ringers as long as this brings them to no more than two subs.

Ringer standard:

• Ringers may not be used that are registered in a higher grade division for that venue on the same night.
• Ringers should not be of too high a standard for the particular division despite not being registered for a team on that night. Ringers are allowed at the discretion of TTR staff and match referee. Please check with the Venue Supervisor or League Coordinator/Manager before your match kicks off!

Definitions:

• Ringer – Someone not officially registered as a full-time paying member of a team.
• Sub – Someone on the side lines i.e. A team has four guys on the pitch and one sub on the side lines.

TTR staff may pull players from the pitch that are not allowed to play. A team not adhering to the above regulations for a significant amount of time in the match may be recorded as a 10-0 forfeit by the venue supervisor.  If you believe that an opposing side are not adhering to the ringer regulations, please speak to the venue supervisor during or before the match as soon as you can.  If the venue supervisor is unavailable, please speak to the referee.

If a higher grade player has subbed on uninvited in a lower grade match, then action will be taken against that player. The team however should report this to the venue supervisor immediately.

Note: On occasions League Coordinator/Manager for new or developing leagues may choose to play variations on these regulations. In which case this will be noted in the welcome email.

Due to feedback from teams who often end up playing against the same ringers weekly, we have tightened the regulations regarding how frequently players can fill in or “ring” for teams.

Players are only allowed to play in one match as a ringer each night. Any players found to be breaking this rule will be banned from being ringers and or playing in friendly matches. This allows more opportunities for different players to pick up games as ringers throughout the season.

The definition of a ringer is someone not officially registered as a full-time paying member of a team.

Try Tag Rugby recommends the following if your team is short of registered players:

• Team captains should use the “find ringers” option whilst logged into the Try Tag Rugby dashboard. However, when contact is made please check that the player is not registered in a higher grade team at your venue.
• If your team is generally struggling for players try posting on the wall of our Facebook group. The Try Tag Rugby community is full of players who are happy to help out teams. Alternatively, you could try placing a free advert on the Gumtree website or signing up for a sports partners website such as Totally Sporty.
• If you’re still struggling on match day, contact your League Administrator who with notice can quickly send an email to teams from your grade playing in a different time slot. If you are generally struggling week to week for players, contact your League Administrator who may be able to add individually registered players to your squad.
• If it’s nearly kick-off and you are still short, try and find players from other teams in your grade or a lower grade who may be hanging around, if you are unsure of the grade they play in to confirm with the member of staff first.
• As a last resort, ask a member of staff whether you can borrow players from a higher grade team.

Dual registration, or players registering for more than one team within the same league and gender category, is not permitted unless a formal request has been approved by TTR.

If a player is registered in two different teams (whether in different divisions or the same division) on the same night, then we can’t guarantee there will be no fixture clashes.

Whole teams such as a men’s team and a mixed team using the majority of the same players will be guaranteed to have no fixture clashes.

In all circumstances, if you plan to play in two teams (in different divisions) on the same night and you wish to avoid fixture clashes, this needs to be pre-arranged by emailing the League Organiser/League Administrator at least 7 days prior to the league start date.

Temporary registration of players to avoid forfeit is illegal. If a team is caught registering players to avoid a forfeit the team will have three competition points deducted. Try Tag Rugby reserves the right to ban teams that are caught doing this more than once.

Team squads for the season will be defined by the registered squad on the system at kick-off in round two of the league. Team squad lists will be printed at this point.

Players may be registered after this deadline, however the League Organiser/League Administrator must be notified in advance.

Team organisers, please be aware that we are considering putting a limit on the number of dual registered players (players registered in two teams on the same night) a team can have so it is advised that strive towards having a squad of players that only play for one team at your venue on the night.

The limit on the number of players you can have in your squad is 20. This is across all leagues and tournaments except where otherwise stated.

Dispensation will be granted to teams on application if a good reason can be provided why a larger squad is needed.

ITF (International Tag Federation) approved Tag Rugby shorts or ladies Tag Rugby tights are compulsory for play.

Tag Rugby shorts that are approved for play by the ITF will have the following brand names on them:

• Try Tag Rugby or TTR
• OzTag or OES
• NZTFI (New Zealand Tag Football) orSAS
• Tagrugby.ie (Only Shorts from 2016 onward – coloured hoops on one leg). Old ITRA shorts branded “Tag Rugby Sports” or “TRS” are no longer allowed in Try Tag Rugby leagues from Early Summer 2019.

Shorts cannot be modified in any way otherwise they will not be allowed for play.

These regulations are in place to improve the consistency and fairness across the sport a well as safety by making sure that:

• Velcro is standard (grade, size and position) across Tag Rugby Shorts
• Shorts/tights length is standard and not shorter than the tags

Try Tag Rugby branded shorts are available:

• • To buy online at www.trytagrugbyshop.com : Try Tag Rugby sell approved Tag Rugby shorts and ladies Tag Rugby tights.

• For hire: If you forget your shorts you can hire a pair from the venue supervisor.

• Tag Rugby belts are strictly not permitted in Try Tag Rugby leagues or events.
• Non-International Tag Federation approved brands of Tag Rugby shorts or ladies Tag Rugby tights won’t be permitted to be worn in any Try Tag Rugby leagues or events.
• Metal studs on football/rugby boots are not permitted for play.
• Outward facing pockets on clothing are not allowed. Pockets may either be zipped up or the garment turned inside out.
• Jewellery & watches must be removed prior to taking to the field. Fitness devices can be worn but must be covered by a sweatband (rulebook reference 3.5)
• In addition to the above, fingernails must be kept short and smooth in order to prevent injury to your opposition.