USA Rugby Guidelines on the Application
of Law for Non-Contact Youth Rugby

Preamble

The following USA Rugby Guidelines on the Application of Law for Non-Contact Youth Rugby (Guidelines) are intended for all players, coaches, match officials and spectators who are involved in the game of non-contact youth rugby in the USA. The Guidelines were developed by a group that included members selected by the USA Rugby Youth Committee, the USA Rugby National Technical Panel and the USA Rugby Referees Association. The Guidelines are not, in and of themselves, the official law that should be applied to the non-contact youth game. They are, however, intended as a practical guide on how those Laws can be understood, interpreted and applied.

Throughout the world rugby union football is played under the Laws of the Game as framed by the International Rugby Board (IRB). However, in some circumstances the IRB has recognized that variations to the Laws are appropriate. Most notably, the IRB has promulgated variations for the Under-19 and the Seven-a-Side games.

A similar need for variation also exists at the introductory level of the game. Young boys and girls have neither the physical and mental characteristics, nor the developed skill sets, necessary to the play under the full Laws. As a result many countries have introduced variations that simplify the game and limit some of its more physical aspects for young and inexperienced players. At this introductory level the players can have fun, but at the same time they can learn the principles of the game, and can be given a basic exposure to all of the aspects of the game that make it unique. As the players gain in confidence, experience and physique they can be gradually exposed, with proper training, to more of the game’s complexities and physical demands.

The USA is no exception. Several years ago USA Rugby promulgated a set of variations for a non-contact youth game. As with the other variations it is intended that the Laws of the Game apply, except where the variations specify otherwise. This is as it should be, with the full Laws underpinning even the basic, introductory game. However, in the USA this leads to some practical problems.

In “traditional” rugby countries there is a substantial base of knowledge about the game possessed by the boys and girls who are involved, and by their parents. The variations can be quickly and readily understood in the context of the full game. In the USA that base of knowledge is far less extensive. If USA Rugby is to attract boys and girls to play, there needs to be an additional vehicle to create a detailed, but still basic understanding for those who are new to the game. There is a similar need if USA rugby is to attract parents to become involved in administering, coaching, officiating or even just watching the game. USA Rugby needs their fully informed support. Thus, in part, these Guidelines.

While these Guidelines are partly intended to help the uninitiated, they also have substantial value for coaches and match officials who know the game well. They provide a detailed, practical guide on how to conduct the game on the field. They touch upon each of the Laws and describe how those Laws can be reasonably interpreted to stay with their spirit, but make sense in the simpler world required by an introductory game.

The Guidelines are intended to provide a reasonably complete description of how the non-contact youth game should be played by relatively experienced players. At all levels of play the emphasis of the players, the coaches and the referees should be on safety and fun. With very young or very inexperienced players, in the interests of maintaining some sense of match flow, which in turn leads to a more enjoyable experience, the referee may decide not to stop play for minor, unintentional infringements, balancing this tolerance with the need to apply sanctions to improve the skills and choices that the players make. Similarly it may be appropriate to introduce the more subtle phases of the game, such as rucks and mauls, only after a reasonable grounding of the more basic elements.

The Guidelines are intended primarily for application on the field-of-play. However, players, coaches, club officials, and match officials all have responsibilities before and during any match in which they participate. It is important that the boys and girls try to understand the Laws of the non-contact youth game. Most importantly, they must be mindful of their own safety and the safety of others. It is the responsibility of those who coach or teach the game to ensure that players are prepared in a manner that ensures compliance with the Laws and in accordance with safe practices. The Guidelines are worded in terms of what both players and match officials should do. Although coaches’ directives are not specifically addressed in this document, it is implicit that coaches have a responsibility to coach players in a manner consistent with this document.

The Guidelines are intended only for application in the non-contact youth game. As the players’ age and experience increase it may become appropriate to introduce them to the contact aspects of the Game in a properly managed, safe progression towards playing under the Under-19 Variations, and ultimately the full Laws of the Game as framed by the IRB. There is nothing in these Guidelines that is intended to either promote or preclude that progression. The Guidelines are intended entirely as a free-standing explanation of the non-contact youth game so that even the uninitiated can understand, play, coach, officiate, watch, and most importantly, enjoy the game of rugby at its most basic level.

USA Guidelines for Non-contact Youth Rugby

Law 1: Ground

Matches can be played on a full sized rugby field, but for younger or less experienced players the dimensions of the field, and other references to distance may be reduced. As much as possible the dimensions should keep the approximate proportions of a full-sized field.

The most important lines are the touch lines and their extensions, which are in touch; the goal lines, which are in the in-goal areas; and the 22-meter lines, which are in the 22-meter areas.

Law 2: Ball

Older players can use standard (size 5) rugby balls, though for younger players smaller (size 3 or 4) balls may be more suitable.

Law 3: Number of Players

There should be no more than seven players (three forwards as a front row, and four backs) in the playing area at any one time. Players may be freely replaced at the beginning of each period, but players who are replaced may not play again until the following period, unless it’s to replace an injured player and no other replacement is available.

A player who is replaced for injury may not play again for the rest of that period.

A player who is temporarily suspended may not play again, and may not be replaced, for five minutes of playing time.

A player who is sent off may not play, and may not be replaced, during that match.

Law 4: Players’ Clothing

Players should wear clothing suitable for a game that involves running around, and sometimes falling over, on a grassy surface. Except for boots, all items that are worn must be made of soft, pliable material. Players aren’t allowed to wear anything that could be dangerous or unsafe for themselves or others. Specifically prohibited are eyeglasses, and any form of harness, brace or helmet that contains any metal or hard plastic. If either before or during the match the referee decides that an item of clothing is dangerous or unsafe, then the referee has to make sure that the item is removed before the player is allowed to continue in the match.

Law 5: Time

Play is divided into four periods of not longer than ten minutes each. The interval after the second period is not more than ten minutes. Each of the intervals after the first and third periods is not more than two minutes.

Each period ends at the next time that the ball becomes dead after the time has expired for that period, except that a period may not stop on a penalty or a free kick.

The referee may stop the clock for injuries, equipment changes and incidents of foul play.

Law 6: Match Officials

Before the match the referee organizes the toss. The captain of the team that wins the toss has the choice of either kicking off, in which case the opposing captain has the choice of ends, or choosing an end, in which case the other team kicks off.

During the match the referee is the sole judge of fact and Law, and no one, including team coaches or other team officials, may question the referee’s authority or dispute the referee’s decisions. Doing so is against the spirit of good sportsmanship, and may be penalized as foul play.

The referee blows a whistle at a kick-off and when necessary to indicate that play should stop. Except at a kick-off, when the referee blows the whistle all players must stop playing at once.

The referee may appoint touch judges who indicate when the ball is in touch, and where the subsequent line-outs are to be taken.

Law 7: Mode of Play

A match is started by a kick-off. After that, any player who is on-side may take the ball and run with it, throw or kick the ball, give or pass the ball to another player, tag an opponent holding the ball, fall on the ball, or ground the ball in an in-goal area. Any player may take part in a scrum, ruck, maul or line-out.

Law 8: Advantage

Advantage takes precedence over most other laws. Its purpose is to make play more continuous with fewer stoppages for infringements. The referee shouldn’t stop play for an infringement if the non-infringing team is likely to gain an advantage.

The referee is the sole judge of whether or not a team has gained an advantage, and has wide discretion when making decisions.

With very young or very inexperienced players the referee may decide not to stop play for a minor, unintentional infringement even though the non-infringing team doesn’t gain an advantage. On such occasions the referee should declare “Play on.”

Law 9: Method of Scoring

When a player is first to ground the ball in the opponents’ in-goal, a try, worth 5 points, is scored. If a player would probably have scored a try but for foul play by an opponent then the referee should award a penalty try, worth 5 points.

When a player scores a try (or penalty try) the player’s team has the right to attempt a conversion kick to score a goal, worth an additional 2 points.

Ideally, a conversion kick should be taken as a place kick or drop kick from a place on a line drawn parallel to the touch lines through the point where the try was scored. It should be made at posts positioned at the center of the goal line. However, in youth non-contact rugby such conditions not always available or even appropriate. Smaller than standard fields often preclude properly positioned posts, and very young players lack the physical characteristics to be able to kick the ball any great height or distance. The conditions for the conversion kicks should be set with the spirit of the ideal in mind, but in a manner that makes successful kicks challenging but possible.

If posts are suitably placed within the playing area then players may try for a drop-goal in general play or for a goal by a place kick or a drop kick after a penalty kick has been awarded. If successful each is worth 3 points.

Law 10: Foul Play

When a player and an opponent are running for the ball neither player shall charge or push the other player except with the shoulder. Equal and opposite pressure is allowed in the shoulder charge.

A player shall not stand or move in front of a team-mate who is carrying the ball, thereby preventing an opponent from tagging the current ball-carrier or from having the opportunity to tag potential ball-carriers when they receive the ball.

A player shall not twist, grab, push or pull the ball-carrier while in the act of tagging or during a ruck or maul.

A player shall not do anything to force or attempt to force the ball from the ball-carrier’s hands.

A player shall not pull, push or obstruct an opponent who is not carrying the ball.

Except in a scrum, ruck or maul a player shall not hold an opponent who is not carrying the ball.

Players shall not attempt a tag by diving and leaving their feet.

It is the responsibility of all players to avoid collisions with other players. A ball-carrier shall not run at an opponent in a manner that causes a collision. An opponent shall not move into the path of a ball-carrier in a manner that causes a collision. A player shall not run at an opponent that does not have the ball in a manner that causes a collision. A player must avoid a collision with an opponent who has just kicked the ball.

In the event of a collision the referee decides which player caused it. If the referee decides that a collision was not intentional, but nevertheless had an impact on the match, then the referee may award a scrum, with the team last in possession to throw in the ball.

A player shall not do anything that is dangerous or unsafe for that player or any other player, or do anything that is against the spirit of good sportsmanship.

A player shall not repeatedly infringe any Law.

Penalty:

In most cases the penalty for foul play infringements is a penalty kick at the place of the infringement. If a player would probably have scored a try but for foul play by an opponent then the referee should award a penalty try.

For serious foul play infringements or for repeated infringements the referee may impose a temporary suspension on the infringing player. A player who is temporarily suspended may not be replaced for 5 minutes of playing time and may not take any part in the match during that time.

For very serious foul play infringements or for continued repeated infringements the referee may send off the infringing player for the remainder of the match. A player who is sent off may not be replaced during that match and may not take any further part in that match. Players, coaches, and referees should all be aware that, if the match is part of a tournament, disciplinary procedures could well require that the player not take any further part in the tournament.

 

Law 11: Off-side and On-side in General Play

In Rugby, as in most field sports, players must abide by laws that dictate where they may be in given situations. These laws are intended to keep players from gaining unfair advantage by playing the game from unfair positions. Simply put, the off-side laws in rugby state that in general play a player may not be in front of a teammate who has the ball or who last played the ball.

Often the off-side Law comes into play after the ball has been kicked. Team-mates who are in front of the kicker must not move forward or take part in play until they have been put on-side. If they do so they are liable to penalty. Off-side players who are within ten meters of where the kicked ball will land, or where a member of the other team is waiting to play the ball, must move away from that spot. If they do not, they are liable to penalty.

The non-offending team may choose a penalty kick at the place of the infraction or a scrum at the spot of the original kick.

However, rugby is a fluid game and the referee should not levy a penalty unless the off-side players interfere with or take part in play. Rugby is most enjoyable, for players, referees and spectators, when there is a lot of action and few stoppages. To minimize stoppages for penalty the referee should communicate with players what they need to do to avoid being penalized. The referee should recognize off-side players and instruct them to either stand still or retreat. The referee should communicate to players as they become on-side.

Off-side players may be put on-side in any of several fashions. As an on-side team-mate, being the kicker or a player who was behind the kicker, runs past off-side players they become on-side. The non-kicking team can put off-side players on-side by intentionally touching the ball, such as by a charge down, or by passing or kicking the ball, or by running with the ball 5 meters in any direction.

A player who is off-side at a ruck, maul, scrum or line-out is taking place must retreat to that player’s off-side line before taking further part in play even if the ruck, maul, scrum, or lineout has ended. Please refer to the relevant section of these guidelines for location of off-side lines. Again, an off-side player may be put on-side if an opponent runs 5 meters with the ball or kicks the ball. However, in the case of rucks, mauls, scrums or line-outs an opponent passing the ball does not put off-side players on-side.

Accidental off-side occurs when a player ball-carrier runs into a teammate who is in front. Play should be stopped and a scrum ordered only if the action prevents the opposition from tagging the ball-carrier. The ball is thrown into the scrum by the non-infringing team.

If, after a knock on by a team-mate, an off-side player plays the ball, but in doing so does not deprive the opponents of an advantage, then a scrum should be awarded for the knock-on. If an off-side player does deprive the opponents of an advantage then a penalty kick should be awarded.

Penalty:

To recap the penalties for off-side in general play: After a kick the non-infringing team may choose a penalty kick at the place of the infraction or a scrum at the spot of the original kick. If a player is off-side at a ruck, maul, scrum or line-out, the non-infringing team may be awarded a penalty kick at the place of infringement.

 

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