RULES AND FORMAT OF THE TOURNAMENT
The tournament will be played with standard IRB Sevens rules
1. The Tournament is organised and hosted by Reading Abbey RFC.
2. The RFU officially recognises the Tournament, and as such, reporting of incidents and matches is made to them.
3. There is a ZERO TOLERANCE of any illegal drugs both in the tournament and at any time during the weekend. Anyone found using or dealing in such substances will be reported to the Police and asked to leave, and the Tournament WILL be halted at whatever stage it may be at, with NO REFUND of any monies paid by any team.
4. There are 2 days of activities for the Fat Blokes Sevens, with a Men’s and Women’s
Tournament on the Saturday, as well as a Friday Charity Match. There are two evenings of live music and socialising with fancy dress on Saturday Night.
5. Reading Abbey RFC does not accept any liability or responsibility for any injuries howsoever caused at any stage of the Tournament.
6. There will be First Aid trained people in attendance. This is first response to ensure players and supporters are safe. You will then be directed to local health services and hospitals. You are welcome to bring your own medical or physiotherapy support.
7. RFU Insurance is in place for RFU-registered teams ONLY. All other teams must visit www.rfu.com and seek permission to be added to this insurance.
8. Teams and/or Individuals are strongly advised to take out ‘Top Up’ Insurance for personal liability and other reasons, as the RFU Insurance ONLY covers Death & Permanent Disability whilst playing.
9. Each team must supply one player to the reserve Barbarian team. Players will be allowed to carry on with their own team, unless required to take part in a Barbarian game. The Barbarian team will only be used in the event of a team not turning up on the day. Details of the chosen player must be supplied at registration time.
10. Our referees are RFU qualified, and we are very lucky to have them attend the tournament. We ask all teams and players to respect and support them during the tournament.
11. All teams need to register by 08.30 on the day of the tournament at the tournament control desk within the Reading Abbey RFC Clubhouse.
12. The tournament is a full-contact sevens rugby tournament recognised by the RFU and complies with all IRB Sevens laws.
13. No player who has played in a high level pool game can play in a lower pool. Similar-level teams will be encouraged to loan players.
14. The referee can use their judgement to penalise any team for anything they wish if they feel a match requires it.
15. The Referees are empowered to ‘handicap’ sides to keep within the Social nature of the Tournament in any way they see fit.
16. Red Cards: All players receiving a red card will be required to report to the tournament directors with the referee for a decision on whether they can continue to play in the tournament. Bear in mind that the referees will be supported in their view of whether the player should continue to take part. The tournament organisers’ decision will be final. Members of the Berkshire RFU Committee will be on site to deal with red card incidents.
Scoring
- 4 Points for a win, 2 Points for a draw
- 1 Bonus Point for losing within or by 7 points
- 1 Bonus Point for scoring 4 or more tries
17. The winning team in each game is responsible for getting the results to the control desk promptly once the game has ended. Failure to do so will result in the game being recorded as a nil-nil draw.
18. If a game is abandoned due to injury, the result will be nil-nil if the injury occurred in the first half, or the result will stand if the injury occurred in the second half.
19. At the end of the Pool games, the Pool table will have teams placed in 1st, 2nd, 3rd order etc. Where teams have duplicate points in the table, which affects positions 1 and 2, ‘Total Points Scored’ will be used with the highest scoring team going ahead of the other. If there is still a tie for a place, then ‘Number of Tries Scored’ will be used. If still a tie, then ‘Winner of the head-to-head match’ will be used. After this, in the unlikely event of a tie remaining, then team Captains/Managers will be asked to ‘toss a coin’ to resolve the issue. The Tournament Director’s decision will be final.
20. For the men and women, there will be knock-out stages for: Men’s Open 1 and 2 – Admirals Cup & Cheffy’s Plate, Men’s Social Premier – Mike Lee Shield, Men’s Social – Arse Cup, Ladies Open – Jack Wakefield Trophy, Ladies Social – Boob Cup.
21. Discriminatory and/or homophobic behaviour or comments will NOT be tolerated. We are very proud to be an inclusive tournament, and will do what is necessary in terms of sanctions to preserve this.
22. The minimum age to play is 17. Teams who wish to play anyone aged 17 must have completed the relevant playing up forms ahead of time with their county.
Your registered club must have approved this form:
https://app.smartsheet.com/b/form/08311987b26f4e7dbdd3c5a55ac8bb91
Individual players (playing up) must have completed this form:
https://app.smartsheet.com/b/form/0dfda3b353b74227aecc0774b3081287
Referees and tournament organisers reserve the right to ask to see these forms.
