MARFU Women’s Competition Rules

Fall 2007 Divisions
Ranking
Advancement to the USA Rugby Championship for Regional Division I
Advancement to the Fall Playoffs for Division II
Maximum match point differential
CIPP Compliance and Roster/Substitution Management
Check-in Guidelines for MARFU D2
Clubs Competing in Division 1 and Division 2
Forfeitures
Day & Time of Matrix Matches

The following are the divisions for Fall 2007:
Division I Maryland Northern Virginia I Philadelphia Raleigh Washington	Division II North Brandywine Chesapeake Doylestown Harrisburg Lancaster Lehigh Valley	Division II South James River Frederick Norfolk Northern Virginia II Severn River

Ranking

During the matrix competition season, teams will be ranked within their Divisions as follows:

1. Win-loss-tie record

2. Head-to-head competition

3. Point differential.

In the event of a forfeit, the score will be considered 60-0.

Each team shall be responsible to report game scores at http://www.marfu.org/marfumatchrep.php

Advancement to the USA Rugby Championship for Regional Division I

There is not a fall tournament for the Division I competition.  The teams will ranked according to the criteria described in the previous section and will be assigned to the appropriate positions in the USA Rugby Championship bracket.

Advancement to the Fall Playoffs for Division II

The following describes playoff advancement:

1. The top 2 teams from Div II North will advance.

2. The top 2 teams from Div II South will advance.

3. In the event a team qualifies to advance to playoffs and cannot field a full squad, the next highest ranked team from their Division shall be allowed to fill the second-ranked spot for their Division at playoffs.

4.  The top-ranked team from Div II North plays the second-ranked team from Div II South.  The top-ranked team from Div II South plays the second-ranked team from Div II North

Determining Div II final venue (MARFU Div II Final Four): This will be handled via the event bids received by June 30. The MARFU Board of Directors will announce the winning venue.

Grounds: The fields for the above matches must be suitable (e.g., meets MARFU playoff requirements); otherwise, the opponent will host the match, also provided their ground is suitable; failing that, the MARFU Competitions Committee will name the venue.

Referees: MARR will assign the referees for the Final Four event.

Maximum match point differential.

A team will receive no more than 60 (+/-) differential points for a match win in the MARFU divisional standings. The 60-point differential will be determined from the losing team's final score.

Examples: a 72-0 match would count as a 60-0 match (60 pt max differential); an 80-50 game would count as an 80-50 game (only 30 point difference); a 90-25 win would count as an 85-25 win (60 point max).

This does not mean that matches will be halted after a 60 pt differential has been reached; play may continue at the discretion of the referee due to safety issues. This rule only applies to the administrative matrix standings and not to the actual match.

CIPP Compliance and Roster/Substitution Management

All clubs are expected to register all their players in the USA Rugby CIPP program. All clubs are expected to abide by the Laws of the Game with respect to starting and reserve rosters. These rules apply to matrix and playoff matches. These rules are written with the intent that the teams will be self-monitoring. In addition to MARFU rules, MARFU adheres to USA Rugby eligibility rules.

MARFU will not strictly monitor compliance except in obvious cases of non-compliance. MARFU reserves the right to monitor compliance without notification. The following rules to be used by the clubs to self-monitor each other's eligibility.

1. Each club must have 15 players on its USA Rugby CIPP roster by the Friday preceding any match. Failure to have at least 15 players on the roster will be taken as prima facie evidence of an inability to field a full, legitimate team on game day. Teams may apply for a waiver from the MARFU Competitions Committee, or failing their approval, from the MARFU Executive Committee. However, if a team can show that, while having less than 15 players on their CIPP roster, they are fielding a legitimate team on game day, then no penalties will be levied.

2. MARFU is cognizant that new players come to a team throughout the season. New players may not play until USA Rugby has processed their CIPP application and their name appears on the USA Rugby CIPP roster for their club. CIPP registration prior to fall season playoff matches also comes under timing requirements mandated by USA Rugby.

3. It is the responsibility of the club to ascertain that new players are eligible to play; that is, that the new player is not CIPPed with another club, that the new player has not played in the current competitive cycle with another club (and may not be CIPPed yet) in matches leading to a national championship, and that the new player is not serving a suspension from play that was handed down by another rugby administrative body (domestic or international). If the player has a current CIPP number, the club should check with the player's (former) club as to his eligibility; there may be a reason why the player has not been released by his club. Questions about eligibility should be resolved with MARFU administrators before allowing the new player to take the field. Clubs that play ineligible players are subject to various penalties, including forfeiture of games in which the ineligible player took part.

4. Prior to the kickoff, each team may demand a game-day roster of participating players, including substitutes, from their opponent. This roster shall include the names and positions of starting and reserve players CIPP numbers should be easy to also include but are not required. This list may be checked against the USA Rugby CIPP roster on the spot or at a later time. The challenged team should be prepared to produce a game-day roster, and kickoff may not be delayed more than 30 minutes past the scheduled time. [Teams should perform the roster check/challenge as early as possible so as not to interfere with their pre-game preparations. Likewise, a team cannot show up right before kickoff and be excused from a roster check/challenge on the grounds that they need time to prepare for the game, nor can the challenging team take an inordinately long time to complete this process.]

5. Prior to the kickoff, each team may challenge their opponent's game-day roster, including substitutes, by asking to check any or all players' identification. Such identification must include a clear and recent photograph (less than 10 years old but taken when the player was at least 18 years of age; players younger than 20 may produce photo identification that is no more than 2 years old; players under 18 should note the USA Rugby eligibility regulation at the link above). Such identification may be a driver's license, passport, visa, military identification, or any other such original picture identification. Photocopied identification that does not clearly identify the player to the satisfaction of the challenging team may be rejected as insufficient. The challenged players should be prepared to produce such identification, and kickoff may not be delayed more than 30 minutes past the scheduled time. Any player that cannot produce satisfactory identification when challenged, and who subsequently plays in the game, does so at the risk of being declared ineligible if a protest is filed by the opponent. [Teams should perform the roster check/challenge as early as possible so as not to interfere with their pre-game preparations. Likewise, a team cannot show up right before kickoff and be excused from a roster check/challenge on the grounds that they need time to prepare for the game, nor can the challenging team take an inordinately long time to complete this process.]

6. A team may ask the name of a replacement player at the time of replacement during the match, and check this name against the game day roster. The referee should check with the opposing team before allowing this player to enter the match, but it is ultimately the responsibility of the teams to verify the identity of the substitution player entering the game and keep track of substitutions. The referee, having checked with the opposing team, should then keep track of substituted players by name and position in case there is a question later. If there are questions about the player's eligibility to participate in the game, the team should inform the opposing captain or team manager and the referee that a protest may be made at a later time. The protesting team should be prepared to present proof of this transgression to the MARFU Competitions Committee and/or the MARFU Disciplinary Committee and/or the MARFU Executive Committee. [The purpose here is to avoid having a neutral match official at each game who can verify player identities and whether that player has already played in the match. The teams can accomplish this on their own.]

7. The referee will not adjudicate any disputes before, during, or after the match, but may be called by MARFU as a witness to the events surrounding the protest. Other witnesses, whether or not part of either teams' roster of players, may be called as they are identified.

8. If a team fails to ask for a player roster or challenge a player's eligibility before the match, or during the match in the case of a replacement player, they shall be prohibited from protesting the game on grounds of ineligibility.

9. If a team intends to challenge the eligibility of an opposing player, they must obtain the game-day roster, including starters and substitutes, of both teams, and submit this to MARFU within three days after the match for review. Whether or not a challenge is forthcoming, an official of each team is obligated to sign the game-day roster as well as printing their name and giving a telephone number and an e-mail address (if not their own e-mail address, then that of another responsible club official); such official could be a club executive officer, or club captain, or club coach, or other club member claiming to represent the club. Teams should retain the game day roster until such time as they deem it unnecessary to retain. No eligibility challenges shall be permitted where game day rosters, having been collected, are subsequently destroyed.

10. If a team fields an ineligible player on game day, as determined by their own admission or by the finding of some MARFU administrative body, then the match will be treated as a forfeit (penalties for forfeits are further provided for by MARFU competition rules).

Check-in Guidelines for MARFU D2 Playoffs

Final Fours: At MARFU D2 Final Four events, all teams will appear with identification and citizenship documents as required by USA Rugby at their championship events; MARFU will parallel USA check-in procedures in preparation for our teams going forward. A team may have a player without proof of legitimate citizenship, but that player will count against the club maximum of foreign (non-resident) players. Players may be exempted from the proof of citizenship requirement if their CIPP registration shows that their USA Citizenship has been verified (usually because they have attended a national championship event). Teams with less than the full number will not be barred from playing, but may only play with the legitimate number of players (resident plus non-resident) as currently defined by USA Rugby.

Clubs Competing in Division 1 and Division 2

At the beginning of the matrix season, a club that is competing in both Division 1 and Division 2 must provide the Competitions Director with a list of at least 12 players that can only play for the club’s Division 1 team in MARFU matrix matches.  If any of these individuals play in a Division 2 matrix match, the club forfeits that Division 2 match.  All other players of the club may play for both the Division 1 and Division 2 sides.

Forfeitures

Forfeiture of an A-match will result in the forfeiting team being barred from the playoffs.
A match forfeiture will be counted as a 60-0 matrix win.

Day and Time of Matrix Matches.

MARFU matrix matches must kick off between 11:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, unless a mutually agreeable change is made by both teams and reported to the appropriate referees association.