Tournament Rules

  1. There will be 5 brackets – Women’s Club, Women’s Collegiate, Men’s Social, Men’s Club, Men’s Collegiate
  2. All decisions regarding the seeding and scheduling of teams shall be the sole responsibility of the tournament Organizers of the Village Lions Rugby Football Club.
  3. NO TEAM WILL PLAY UNTIL THE WAIVER AGREEMENT IS COMPLETED AND HANDED IN TO THE TOURNAMENT ORGANZIZERS.
  4. Each match will consist of 22-minute halves and a 5-minute half time. The score reported by the Referee to the Tournament Organizers shall be considered the official score. Teams are encouraged to check with the Referee BEFORE he/she leaves the pitch to assure agreement with the reported result.
  5. Failing to field a team within 5 minutes of the published kick-off time will result in a forfeit loss by a score of 14-0 (two converted tries).
  6. A coin toss by the referee will determine which team chooses to kick or receive the ball. The team traveling the furthest distance shall be considered the “away team” and will call the coin toss.
  7. Tournament Format
    1. Round one:
      • Each bracket will be broken up into pools of three or four teams.
      • Teams will play two matches against other teams in their pool.
      • As registration by division is skewed, below is a summary of each divisions anticipated pool play structure. Note, if due to late cancellations or no shows the size of the division changes, the structure of your division's pool play may change on the day. Please make certain to attend the Captain's meeting for notice of any changes on the day.
      Men’s Club, Women’s Club, Men’s University and Women’s University:
      6 Teams - Two Pools of Three Teams
      • Pool Play: Team 1 plays Team 2, Team 1 Plays Team 3, Team 2 Plays Team 3
      • Top 2 teams to advance from each pool
      Men’s Social:
      8 Teams - Two Pools of four Teams
      • Each team plays 2 other teams in its pool.
      • Top 2 teams from each pool advance
    2. Round two (semi-finals):
      • Winner Pool A plays 2nd Place Pool B and Winner Pool B play 2nd Place Pool A.
      • At the end of round two, the two teams winning their matches will advance to the championship match.
    3. Round three (finals):
      • The winner of the championship match receives the Cup.
      • The 2nd team in the championship match receives the Plate.
  8. In the event that teams in the same bracket have the same record when determining which teams advance and/or when determining the seeding of teams for the semi-finals, a tie will be broken by the following:
    1. Comparing points for and points against for teams having the same record. If after (a) teams are still tied,
    2. The team, which has scored the most tries up until the point at which the tie is to be broken, shall be the winner. If after (a) and (b) teams are still tied,
    3. The team, which has scored the most converted tries up until the point at which the tie is to be broken, shall be the winner. If after (a), (b), and (c) teams are still tied,
    4. In the event that the teams are still tied on the basis of (a), (b), and (c) above, the winner shall be determined by the tossing of a coin.
      For Example: If there were three teams in a pool and
      Team A Beat Team B (7 – 0 One converted try),
      Team B Beat Team C (21 - 0 three converted tries) and
      Team C Beat Team A (21 - 0 three tries and two penalty kicks).

      Advancement would be calculated as follows
      Team A Record 1 - 1; Point Differential -14 (7 - 21); Tries 1, Converted Tries 1
      Team B Record 1 - 1; Point Differential 0 (21 - 21); Tries 3, Converted Tries 3
      Team C Record 1 - 1; Point Differential 0 (21 - 21); Tries 3, Converted Tries 0

      Team B would advance based on converted tries. Team C would rank second and Team A third
  9. In the event that a semi-final or final match ends in a tie at the end of regulation time, a tie will be broken by the following:
    1. Five minute sudden death. If after (a) teams are still tied,
    2. The teams will engage in a kick-off
  10. There will be no cross-rostering unless a team’s roster falls below fifteen players due to injury. At that point, a team may add players, not to exceed seventeen on the roster. All cross-rostering must be approved by the Tournament Organizers.
  11. In the event that a change of kit is requested by the referee (e.g. opposing teams are wearing kits of a similar color), the team traveling the least distance shall be considered the “home team” and will be responsible for the change.
  12. A team is allowed seven substitutions per match at the discretion of the referee. Players replaced by a substitute may not re-enter the match but may play in subsequent matches. Blood subs shall be permitted for a period not to exceed 10 minutes. Once 10 minutes has expired, a player who has left the field with a blood injury may no longer re-enter the match.
  13. In the event that a player receives a red card, he/she must leave the match immediately and be banned from play for the remainder of the tournament. Substitution will not be permitted for that player for the remainder of the match, but may be made for subsequent matches.
  14. In the event that a player be sent to the sin bin, he/she will stand beyond the out-of-bounds line at the back of the opposing team’s try zone for a period of 5 minutes. A player sent to the sin bin twice during the day will immediately leave the match and be banned from play for the remainder of the tournament. A substitution may not be made for a player who has been sent to the sin bin for the second time during the tournament. The team will then play with one less player for the remainder of the match. Substitution may be made for subsequent matches.