Rocky Mountain Rugby Referees

Providing referee services in Colorado and throughout the US

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World Rugby prohibits scrum pre-engagement

To increase player safety, World Rugby has outlawed the practice of front-rows placing their heads onto opposition players’ shoulders between the call of ‘bind’ and ‘set’ on engagement. In practice, there must be a gap between the front rows after the ‘bind’ call.

scrumengagement

Law 19.10(b) now reads:

The front-rows crouch with their heads to the left of their immediate opponents’, so that no player’s head is touching the neck or shoulders of an opponent.

Read the World Rugby announcement for more details.

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Rugby Colorado Playoff Reminders

A few quick reminders on Rugby Colorado and U19 specific variations:
  • Substitutions: Teams are limited to 8 replacement players. In U19, a player that has been tactically replaced may return to the match for any injured player (not just a front row injury).
  • Yellow Cards: Yellow Cards are 10 minutes. If a yellow card causes a team to reduce the numbers of players in their scrum, the opposing team must match the number of players.
  • Overtime: If the match is tied after 60 minutes, overtime will be two 5 minute periods. Teams will switch ends before each period. These periods are not sudden victory. If the match is tied after the two periods, the match will be decided by a penalty kick shootout.
  • Penalty Kick Shootout: Each team will nominate 5 players who are on the field at the end of overtime. The referee will select a location on the field and all of the nominated players will attempt a place kick at goal (alternating between the teams). If the score remains tied, this process will repeat with all 5 kickers being given a kick (not sudden victory).
  • Half Length: The default half length is 30 minutes. However, Rugby Colorado allows teams to elect to play 35 minute halves if both teams agree. In that case, there would not be any overtime rugby periods, a tied match would go directly to penalty kicks.