League Rules
League Rules as a PDF document
The North West Leagues Rules 2011/2012
Rule 1: All games to be played in accordance with the laws of the game as laid down by the R.F.U and as a condition of membership of the North West Leagues all Clubs shall be required to sign a Code of Conduct at the beginning of each season.
Rule 2: All Clubs to use Society and Association referees. (Wherever possible)
Rule 3: A player changing clubs can represent his new club immediately.
Rule 4:
a. Premier and Division 1. A maximum of 3 NOMINATED replacements will be allowed in any match.
Division 2 downwards. An open number of replacements can be agreed by both captains and referee before the commencement of the game. If agreement cannot be agreed a maximum of 5 NOMINATED replacements will apply. The above will apply regardless of the number of players starting the game.
b. At levels Premier to Division 3 only front row players who have been substituted may return to the field of play, and then ONLY in the case of injury. Rolling Subs to be allowed from Division 4 and below.
Teams using more than allowed number of replacements will have two points deducted.Rule 5: The competition will be run as a league.
Rule 6: A trophy will be presented annually to each League Champion at the Presentation Meeting. This will be returned at the end of the next season. In addition all runners up will be presented with a trophy to keep.
Rule 7: Points awarded for a win will be FOUR.
Rule 8: TWO points to be awarded to each team for a draw.
Rule 9: ONE point to be awarded for a defeat.
Rule 10: Uncontested Scrums:
a. Before a game commences if there is a shortage of front row players, the game starts with uncontested scrums. Should a team unable to field a front row win the match they will receive 2 POINTS MAXIMUM. Should the team with a full front row win they will be awarded FULL POINTS as per Rule 7. The losing side receives ONE point as per Rule 9.
b. If a game goes into uncontested scrums after the start normal rules apply, winner takes FOUR points, loser takes ONE point.
c. A draw in a game with uncontested scrums from the start, TWO points each.
d. All games involved in uncontested scrums MUST be reported to the Relevant League Secretary.
Rule 11: All fixtures will be decided by the League Committee. All games to be rearranged if the grounds are unfit. The Leagues Secretary will dictate the date of the rearranged fixture. This will be the first available Saturday. In the case of a league game being brought forward, once the two fixture secretaries and Leagues Secretary have agreed the date then this becomes a binding contract and any failure to play the game by either side will result in that side conceding and receiving No points. The innocent party to receive 4 points.
Rule 12: Both sides will be responsible for sending in the results. Score must be checked with the referee. These must be supplied to the Secretary of that league by Saturday 6.00pm at the very latest. Can be done by text, telephone or e-mail. Failure to send in results by either side will involve a £10 penalty for the first offence. Second offence will involve a £20 penalty. Further offences could involve points deduction or expulsion from the league. Any fines must be paid direct to the treasurer, within 7 days of notification by the League Secretary of the imposition of the fine.
Rule 13: The Senior fixture in a Club’s list MUST ALWAYS, UNLESS THE SENIOR MATCH IS NOT PLAYED FOR SOME VALID REASON, be honoured at the expense of a lower team’s fixture. Failure to do this will result in ALL teams from the offending Club losing ALL POINTS, (Winning or Losing) from their respective matches. In addition another TWO POINTS will be deducted from all the offending Club’s teams.
The non offending team will be awarded the 4 points.
Rule 14: All games in all Divisions will start with a minimum of nine men per side. There will be no more than ONE man advantage to any team at the start of the game. The captains must agree the exchange of players before the game begins. Should there be a failure to agree then the team responsible for such failure to agree shall forfeit the game. The points awarded on such failure shall be 4 points for the innocent team and 0 points for the team responsible for the failure.
A minimum of 5 (FIVE) players must be supplied by every team and a team supplying less than 9 players can only receive 2 points in the event of victory.
Rule 15: Any side unable to fulfil a fixture for any reason other than the weather forfeits the game, except under exceptional circumstances and agreed by the committee. Exceptional requests must be submitted to the Leagues Secretary at least one Calendar month in advance.
Rule 16: During the course of a season the position in the league will be based on the following:
a. League Points awarded.
b. Points difference.
At the end of the season in the event of a tie between teams involved in promotion or relegation, where the League points between teams are tied, and the tied teams have had Walkovers against some teams, then only the games against the teams who they had Walkovers against should be excluded from the fixtures of all the tied teams.
The points difference should be calculated with these fixtures excluded and the tied teams should then be put in order of these newly calculated points differences. If the points differences are then level then the head to head results should be the deciding factor.If a team is involved in a tie on League points but has also conceded some other games then these games are still included in the points difference calculation for the other tied teams. The concedes are their own fault so should still be included.
Rule 17: Any game abandoned or player given a red card must be referred to the relevant League Secretary within 48 hours of the event by both teams. The time, score and reason for abandonment to be reported. Failure to do so will incur a fine of £50 and any subsequent failure in the same season will incur a further fine of £75. If abandonment takes place after 60 minutes the result will stand unless the abandonment is due to foul play of one of the teams.
Rule 18: The Home team will change strip in the event of a colour clash.
Rule 19: In the Premier and Division 1, any team which concedes THREE games in the course of a season will be expelled from the league and their records expunged. In all other Divisions, any team that concedes FOUR games in the course of a season will be expelled immediately and their records expunged. Any team, down to and including Division 3, conceding a game in April will have TWO concedes added to its total.
In addition, any team excluded from the Leagues may have to provide evidence that they will be able to reform this team to be allowed to apply for re-entry the following season.
Please Note: Cup games are now included in the total number of games allowed to be conceded.
Rule 20: Any team expelled from the League for failing to fulfil fixtures will not automatically be re-admitted the following season. If any team is expelled from the League then any lower teams from the same club will also be expelled. In the event of a side being expelled from the Leagues and then re-applying for the following season, they will then be introduced, if their application is accepted, in a league, one lower than their previous position.
Rule 21: After TWO consecutive expulsions then the team will not be allowed to re-apply for the following season.
Rule 22: In the event that the Committee become aware that a member club has materially mislead or deceived them to gain an advantage or that they are in breach of the Code of Conduct referred to in Rule 1 the Committee reserves the right to impose such disciplinary action as they deem fit including expulsion from the league.
Rule 23: (a). The Rules Committee (at present, Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer) are the sole interpreters of these rules.
b. That all complaints received by the NOWIRUL Secretary re infringement of League Rules by other teams/clubs MUST be in writing and received within 7 days of the incident/s occurring. Such complaints must be accompanied by documentary evidence including any referee’s report and written statements from officers of the complainant club. On receipt of the complaint the Secretary shall forward details of the complaint to the club the subject of the complaint, who shall respond within seven days. The Committee shall then issue their findings within 7 days and inform all involved.
c. Should a team wish to appeal against a decision of the Rules Committee notice of the appeal together with a £50 remittance payable to "North West Leagues" must be forwarded to the Leagues Secretary within 7 days of the Rule’s Committee’s decision (time being of the essence).The matter would then be considered by the full Committee (excluding Members of the Rules Committee) for their decision.
d. Should a team be dissatisfied with the decision of the Committee they may (on payment of the appropriate fee) appeal to a RFU Disciplinary Panel by written notice to the Disciplinary Manager, Twickenham.
e. All appeal costs to be borne by the team making the appeal.
Rule 24: Any team not having paid it’s membership fee or returned its "Code of Conduct" form by August 27th will be deducted 4 points and for each subsequent week will be deducted a further 4 points per week.
Rule 25: No League games in the University of Salford North West Leagues and Bateman BMW League may double up with another League game. In addition none may double up with Cup games with either Raging Bull or other Cups, e.g. Lancashire or Cheshire.
Rule 26: The Committee expects the highest standards of discipline from all participating Clubs, their players, officials, members and spectators. All breaches will be dealt with by the appropriate County Disciplinary Committee in accordance with the RFU’s Disciplinary Regulations, which are set out in the RFU Handbook and are on the RFU website. A County Disciplinary Committee has jurisdiction to deal with, and impose sanctions for, the following disciplinary offences:
(i) Sendings off, where a player has been dismissed from the field of play by the referee. In all such cases, the referee must, within 48 hours after the end of the match, send a completed copy of the sending off report to the Secretary of the appropriate County Disciplinary Committee and to his own Referees’ Society or Organisation.
(ii) Abuse of a match official, where a player, Club official or member is reported by a match official for abuse during the game or after it while he is still on or at a Club’s premises. Again, a written report should be completed by the match official and sent to the persons named in (i) above within 7 days from the day of the match.
(iii) Citings by a Club or an Accredited Referee Assessor/ Advisor, ie where a player is alleged to have committed an act of foul play but has not been sent off for that act. In such case, a written citing complaint must be made to the appropriate County Disciplinary Secretary and received by him not later than the first post on the 14th day immediately following the match in which the incident took place. Clubs should note that this time limit cannot be extended under any circumstances and the full Citing Procedures are set out in Appendix 7 of the RFU’s Disciplinary Regulations.
(iv) Breach of Rule 5.12 of the Rules of the RFU, ie any words or conduct of any kind, which is prejudicial to the interests of the Union or the game. Such a breach may be by a Club, a team, an individual player, an official or member. Clubs should note that, although a County Disciplinary Committee may not have jurisdiction to sanction a spectator, who is not a member of a Club, the Club itself is responsible for controlling the behaviour, and ensuring the good conduct, of its spectators. Thus, a Club itself may be sanctioned for the misconduct of a non-member spectator. Any complaint relating to a breach of Rule 5.12 must be in writing and made to the appropriate County Disciplinary Secretary within a reasonable time. Any Club or individual, whether a member of a Club or not, may make such a complaint.
(v) Bad disciplinary record. Clubs should note that where players from or other members of a Club or people linked to a Club appear before a Disciplinary Committee (which includes a Club Disciplinary Committee and, thus, junior players) on more than 5 separate occasions in any one season, then that Club may be deemed to have a bad disciplinary record and sanctions may then be imposed on the Club itself or any of its teams.
Rule 27: Confirmation of fixtures should be made as per RFU competitions with the Away side confirming the game and KO time. It is suggested that times be as follows. 3.00pm Sept/Oct/Mar/Apr, 2.15pm Nov/Dec/Jan/Feb.
Rule 28: Where a Club does not fulfil its AWAY fixture in the first part of the season, then it must forego its HOME fixture and travel to play the opposition AWAY.
Rule 29: All Leagues at present known as Miller Homes, and all Rules mentioned as such be changed to “North West Leagues” and “North West Leagues Rules” respectively.Note 1: All results and tables will be posted on the league website by Monday a.m. Clubs must take their own copies for publication on notice boards from the website. Remember PUBLICITY creates interest for all of us.Website address:- www.nowirul.org.uk
Note 2: Any team or Club with concerns or questions should address them to the appropriate League Secretary a.s.a.p.
Addendum. While it is not our intention to be too regulatory in respect of the leagues, it is important that we uphold the rules strictly, in order for the leagues to run smoothly and with the least instances of controversy. Because of the increase in numbers in the leagues it is essential that RESULTS are received on time. This is where the zero level of tolerance will be shown.
R Robinson
Leagues Secretary
Latest changes, 22nd September 2011
