The Western Rugby Union organizes and promotes competitive programs to provide opportunities for the best member clubs to compete on the field for the available Western slots in the respective competitions run by USA Rugby

Scope of Competitive Program

As of this date the Western Rugby Union offers Territorial Championship programs in the following areas:

Men’s Division I Clubs

Men’s Division II Clubs

Women’s Clubs

Men’s Club Sevens

Men’s Division I Collegiates

Men’s Division II Collegiates

Women’s Collegiates

Collegiate Men’s All Star

Boy’s High Schools

Upon recommendation of the Western Competition Committee or motion of a Western Board member, competitive programs may be added or deleted to/from this list. New competitive programs will only be added to the Western program in the CY+2. This allows the member LAUs to design and implement feeder systems to the new or deleted events.

Structure of each Western Competitive Program

As of this date the structure of each Western competitive program is as follows:

• Men’s Division I Clubs - a four-club final held over two days. The Western Quarterfinal round will consist of eight clubs who qualify from the results of Sub Regional league competition. These four matches are one off matches with the winners advancing to the Western finals.

• Men’s Division II Clubs - an eight-team final held over three days. There are three challenge matches offered in this program.

• Men’s Division III Clubs - to date, only the Texas union has competition at this level, and the Western representative to the USA Rugby event has been the winner of the Texas competition in this area. As other LAUs develop competition at this level and petition for inclusion, a Western event will be established to determine the Western representative to the USA Rugby Division III Championships. The West has withdrawn from this USA Rugby event, and will not host a competitive program for Division III competition.

• Women’s Clubs - an event with two pools. Pool A will have four teams representing the top four women’s clubs in the West. Pool A will supply West representation to the Sweet Sixteen event hosted by USA Rugby. Pool A will play semi finals on Saturday and a Championship and Consolation match on Sunday.

• Pool B will contain either six or eight teams, depending on availability of participants. Seeding and structure will be addressed by the Competition Committee. Each year the winner of Pool B will replace the fourth place finisher in Pool A for the following year’s event. The Competition Committee may reverse this last procedure if the committee members feel the differences in standard of play between Pool A and B do not warrant promotion/relegation.

• Men’s Club Sevens - an eight-team event held on one day. The eight finalists are selected from the winners of qualifying events held throughout the West.

• Men’s Division I Collegiates - uses a Round of Twelve system. The four pool winners appear in the Final Four event played over two days.

• Men’s Division II Collegiates - an eight-team final held over two days

• Women’s Collegiates - an eight-team final played over two days.

• Collegiate Men’s All Star - each LAU provides a squad for this two-day event. An eighth team is usually invited to fill out the competition, based on the following criteria; 1) the defending champion LAU, 2) the host LAU, and 3) an invitation to another team or LAU, as appropriate.

• Boy’s High School - beginning in 2003, the West will host a single high school event at a single location. The event will include representatives from Western LAUs except ER who have chosen not to participate. The event will include twelve high school clubs

Standard Dates for Western Competitive Events

Most Western events are feeders or qualifiers for the corresponding USA Rugby event. As of the date of this paper USA Rugby has not adopted a long term schedule. Therefore, the dates of Western events may occasionally need to be changed to accommodate changes in the USA schedule. The current standard dates for Western Events are:

• Men’s Division I and II Clubs - the last full weekend in April (which is typically two weeks before the USA Rugby Division I Sweet 16 event.). The challenge matches are scheduled on the Saturday of two weekends before the finals. The Division I Quarterfinal matches are scheduled for the Saturday of the weekend two weeks before the finals

• Women’s Clubs - three weekends before USA Rugby’s Sweet Sixteen Round.

• Men’s Club Sevens - scheduled in July

• Men’s Division I and II Collegiate Finals - the first full weekend of April. Division I Round of Twelve matches are held two weekends before this date.

• Women’s Collegiates - the first full weekend of April.

• Collegiate Men’s All Star - the first full weekend of November.

• Boy’s High School - the last full weekend of April.

Pool Structures

1. For an eight-team final, Pool A consists of seeds #1, 4, 5, and 8. Pool B consists of seeds #2, 3, 6, and 7. First round pairings are: 1 vs.8; 4 vs. 5; 2 vs.7; and 3 vs. 6.

2. For a four-team event, seed #1 plays seed #4 and seed #2 plays seed #3 in the semi final round. Winners play for the championship and the losers play for the third place. If four pool winners play in the Final Four, then Pool A plays Pool D and Pool B plays Pool C.

3. For a Round of Twelve, there are three teams participating in each of four pools. Then, in each pool the two lower seeds in the pool play Saturday, with the winner of this match playing the highest seed Sunday. The pool winners advance to the Final Four. Pool A includes seeds #1, #8, and #12. Pool B includes seeds #2, #7, and # 11. Pool C includes seeds #3, #6, and #10. Pool D includes seeds #4, #5, and #9.

4. In Challenge match systems, seeds #6, #7, and #8 are challenged by three additional seeds #9, #10, and #11. The usual parings of the challenge matches has #6 being challenged by #11, #7 by #10, and #8 by #9. The winner of the challenge matches moves forward to the final eight competition. The Competition Committee may elect to adjust the parings of the challenge matches to minimize extensive travel and/or to avoid the possibility of two teams from the same LAU playing against each other in the first round of matches. See later section on procedures for scheduling and confirming Challenge Matches.

5. See additional notes and procedures on changes to pool structures in the event of late cancellation/withdrawal of participants in an event

6. For the Western Men’s Club Seven’s Championship, the following will apply if there are only seven clubs competing:

Seed Pool Matches to be Played

1 Bye, 7, and 6. First match is a bye, second match is against seed #7, and the third match is against seed #6

2 7, bye, 5

3 6, 5, bye

4 5, 6, 7

5 4, 3 ,2

6 3, 4, 1

7 2, 1, 4

7. In the event a competition uses only six clubs or if one pool of four is reduced to three clubs, the three club pool or pools will be played as a round robin

8. For a competition with round robin pools of three clubs, the seeding will be as follows: Pool A consists of seeds #1, #4, and #5. Pool B consists of seeds #2, #3, and #6. See page 15 Item 7 A of these Combined Regulations for procedures to be used in determining the order of finish in any round robin pool. For determining the final order of finish on day 2 of these events. Pool A winner will play the winner of Pool B for the championship, the second place finishers in the pools will play for third/forth place. The third place pool finishers will play for fifth/sixth place.

Designation of Home Team

1. For all challenge matches, the challenged team (seeds #6, #7, and #8) is always the home team.

2. For the Round of Twelve pools, the home LAU of the top four seeds is the home venue for the pool. The LAU is responsible for designating the specific venue within its geography that will host the pool. This decision is due by 15 January of the year of the competition. If two or more pools of a Round of Twelve competition are scheduled for the same LAU, the West may require the LAU designate one venue for the pools.

Seeding Considerations/Competition Committee Procedures

1. The President of the West will name a Competition Committee at their discretion. The activities of the committee are coordinated by a person chosen by the President. Any votes taken by the committee will be official if at least half the members of the committee cast their ballot within the time allocated. Uncast ballots are not considered in the calculation of “majority” vote of the committee. A decision may be reached by the committee if the majority of the voters cast an affirmative vote. In the event of tie votes, the committee may be asked to re-vote of the entire ballot or a subset of the ballot or the issue may be passed to the Officers and Directors for their decision.

2. The Competition Committee is responsible for evaluating the results of all Western competitive programs as soon as practical after the conclusion of the event. All participants in the event are to ranked so that an agreed to final order of finish can be established. In most cases the order of finish is determined solely on the field as a direct result of match play. However, in Round of Twelve matches this does not occur, so that the committee must evaluate the results and determine the final order of finish. Ties in matches which are not required by event regulations to be played will use the tie breaking rules in the even packet to determine outcomes and results.

3. The Competition Committee is responsible for polling the LAUs on a reasonably regular basis to determine if LAUs are changing and/or adding to their local competitive programs. Before the seeding process for the next year is begun, any changes to an LAUs ability or interest in participating in each Western event must be assessed. Once an LAU states that it has no entry in a Western competitive event, there is no provision to change the structure/seeding of that event until the following cycle.

4. At the present time, there is no definition of an LAUs competitive program. An LAU has a right to participate in a Western event on their expressed interest in doing so. Presumably this means that an LAU program with one team has a right to a slot in the corresponding Western event. Every LAU has a right to a slot in each Western Championship program if they state they have a corresponding LAU program.

Beginning in the 2003-2004 competitive season an LAU will no longer have an automatic slot in any Western competitive program. A LAU must have a minimum of four clubs participating in an LAU competitive program in order for the LAU to have a guaranteed slot in the respective Western program. LAU competition with less than four clubs may merge their competitive program with that of a near by LAU. If the merged program has four or more participants, the merged competition will have a guaranteed slot in the respective Western championship series. LAU or merged competitions with less than four participating clubs may still earn a slot in the respective Western competition through merit as defined and determined by the Western Competition Committee.

5. The Competition Committee is responsible for providing the summer meeting of the West Board with the seeding and structure of all Western Championship events for the CY+1.

6. In a Round of Twelve competitions, an LAU is deemed to have a slot if it is seeded in any of the twelve slots. In an eight-team event with a challenge system, only the first eight slots are considered for guaranteed LAU slots. It is not acceptable to give an LAU ONLY a challenge slot in this type of competition.

7. The seeding for every Western program is based primarily on the results from the previous year. If an LAU states it wishes to join a program that it did not previously participate in or if an LAU’s sole entry in a program was eliminated in the challenge match process, the proposed seedings must allow entry or re-entry to these LAU representatives. Once all participating LAUs are allocated a slot in a Western event, any remaining slots are allocated on the following basis:

- the winning LAU is granted a second slot. Then, if slots remain open

- the runner up LAU is granted a second slot. If these are the same LAUs, then that LAU is granted a third slot. Then, if slots remain open

- the third place LAU is granted a second slot. Then, if slots remain open continue through the order of finish until all slots are filled.

However:

- in no case will an LAU be granted more than three slots in any competitive program. The exception to this rule is found in the boy’s high school program. As an aide to the development of high school rugby within the West, additional slots are available so that more than three clubs from an LAU may participate in the two events.

- if an LAU does not have additional clubs that participate in the competitive program the open slot is passed to the next finisher in the competition.

- for exceptional reasons the Competition Committee may adjust the recommended lower seedings in an event for reasons such as minimizing travel, or preventing two teams from the same LAU from playing in the first round of a competition.

- the competition committee may allow for a different interpretation of the procedures in allocating a second slot in any competitive program. For example, if an LAU finishes at #2 and #3 in a competition, the committee may elect to leave that LAU with two slots in the following year’s program and NOT award a second slot to the #1 finisher. This is particularly true if the competition in the winner’s LAU is deemed to be poor and if the #2 and #3 finishers were very competitive in their matches.

8. Seeding for the Men’s Club Sevens Championship is done by the Seven’s Program Director based on qualifier results, past performance, and other factors at the sole discretion of the Program Director.

Challenge Match Procedures

Challenge matches are currently part of the Division II Men’s Club Championship process. The process for choosing and pairing participants and determining the venue are included elsewhere in these regulations.

Challenge matches are currently scheduled on the Saturday of the weekend two weeks before the respective Championship. The club identified as the Challenger must issue their challenge at least one month before the date of the Challenge Match. The Challenged club must respond and if they accept the match it will be played on the date and place previously determined. The winner of the Challenge match advances to the respective Western final in the seeding slot of the Challenged club.

If no challenge is issued, no match is required and the Challenged team moves forward. If the Challenged club fails to respond to the Challenger, then the Challenger moves forward.

If an LAU’s competitive program is not resolved in time to implement the above schedule, then the LAU itself may issue or accept the match in place of a specific club. It is expected that the LAU will poll their member clubs in contention to issue or receive challenges, to ascertain their interest in the playing the Challenge Match before making any commitments.

General Statement

The Western Rugby Union’s Competitive program is organized for the benefit of all member clubs and LAUs. Competition slots are available to the best clubs within our LAUs as determined by on the field matches. However, there are additional qualification criteria to be considered when a club is nominated by its LAU for participation in a Western Championship event. These regulations are to be used in determining a club or an LAUs participation in Western events.

Participation in Western Championship and other Events

Clubs participating in Western events are expected to fully understand and abide the current Eligibility and Discipline Regulations as announced by USA Rugby. Clubs and/or players in default of any portion of these regulations will be denied permission to participate in Western events. It is the sole responsibility of member clubs to fully understand all facets of the regulations and to insure that their members understand them as well. As stated elsewhere, clubs and/or players found to be in breech of these regulations after participating in a Western event will be subject to the following:

• The club and/or player will be suspended for any remaining Western events in the calendar year of the infraction and for the full following year. The suspension is subject to the appeal and other procedures described in the relevant USA Rugby publication.

All participants in Western events are required to be in good standing with their club, their LAU, the West, and USA Rugby. “Good Standing” at a minimum implies free from discipline actions, in meeting pertinent eligibility qualifications and meeting all financial/dues affairs. In particular, clubs, LAUs and players are required to be current in their dues’ payments to the West. There are regulations stated elsewhere regarding a club, LAU, or players financial obligations for the current year and the schedule by which they must be met. Additionally the following will apply:

1. A club that is in arrears for any past Western dues will be unable to participate in Western competitive programs. By 15 January of each year, the Western Board will cause the electronic publication to the member LAUs of clubs considered in arrears for any previous year’s dues or other fees. The clubs in question will have until 15 February to satisfactorily resolve the issue or pay the amounts in question. Failing that they will be disqualified from any participation from all Western programs for the remainder of the year. If they had previously qualified for participation in a Western program, they will be replaced by another club chosen by the Competition Committee.

2. Clubs and individuals who attempt to avoid such penalties by changing their name or other subterfuge will be subject to a permanent ban from all Western events.

3. LAUs may petition the West to include clubs in default of LAU dues and fees under the strictures in # 1 above.

4. LAUs who are found to have knowingly allowed clubs and/or players who are not in good financial standing to continue to play competitive matches within their LAU’s competitive program will lose their slots in the respective Western competitions for the following calendar year.

5. Clubs in arrears for Western or LAU dues as described in #1 above will be unable to host Western events. Clubs previously nominated to host any Western event, but who are still in default of their dues payments, will lose hosting consideration if the arrearage is not resolved by 15 February.

6. As in regulations published elsewhere, if a LAU is in default of meeting their dues objectives - 85% of a target - by 15 January of the following year, any Western event previously scheduled to be played within the LAU may be moved to another location.

Team Registration

All clubs participating in any Western Championship program will make reasonable efforts to complete the administrative details requested for participation. These procedures have been established to minimize the time spent away from the preparation of teams and players for on the field matches. All clubs agree that it is in everyone’s best interest to do so, and that unnecessary time delays are unacceptable in that they inconvenience all.

To speed the on-site players’ registration process, all participating clubs are required to submit the Event Roster to the Western Administrative Office on a schedule detailed in the Participants Packet that is available on the Western web site www.wrfu.org. In general, the form is required to be physically in the WRFU office (see address below) by the close of business on the Monday preceding the start of the competition. Players’ names are checked for eligibility, financial, and discipline standing. This speeds the check in process on site and minimizes the details to be provided on-site. Failure to submit the form on schedule $100 fine.

Event Check-in

All teams are expected to check-in at the venue and schedule announced in the Participant Packet. The schedule meeting times for each team will be very flexible to minimize disruption to match preparation. The check-in process and its requirements are detailed in the Participant Packet as well. Flexibility aside, all teams must check in all players sometime during the competition, but prior to their first match. Failure to do is a $100 fine.

Captains Meeting

A Captains meeting will be scheduled as part of a final in any Western competitive program. The scheduled time and place of the meeting is published in the materials on each event. The meeting MUST be attended by a responsible representative from each participating club. A review of the schedule, conflicts in kit colors, referee interpretations, host Q&As, etc. will be covered. Failure to attend the Captains Meeting will result in a $100 fine against offending clubs.

Participation Agreement

Clubs are expected to fulfill all their scheduled match commitments. Clubs are expected to play all matches on the event schedule. Clubs who default on playing their matches do a great disservice to their opponents and the event host. No one likes to travel any distance and then be denied a scheduled match. Clubs who default on matches at Western events will be ineligible for participation in any Western event for the balance of the year of default and the full following year. These clubs may play in any LAU event or competition, but may not represent that LAU for the time period above even if they are the only club in a particular competitive program. Defaulting clubs may also be fined by the WRFU Board of Directors, the WRFU Disciplinary Committee, or the officers of the West.

LAUs are expected to nominate their clubs for each Western event no later than two weeks before the corresponding Western Championships Event. LAUs failing to meet this schedule will lose that slot in the following year’s Western competition. This is true even if the lost slot is the only one earned by the LAU.

Appeal Process for Fines and Disqualification

The regulations and procedures for appealing any of the penalties noted in any of these regulations may be found in the By Laws and/or Disciplinary Procedures of USA Rugby. They are available from USA Rugby and/or any Western USA Rugby Director. Discipline procedures are also found of the website of USA Rugby.

Playing Kit

All persons involved in rugby have an obligation to present our sport in the best possible light. Part of the presentation is the over all “look of each team.” Playing kit requirements are outlined in several places in the Event Binders received by each participating club. Clubs are expected to carefully monitor the dress of their players while they are on or near the field. Examples of inappropriate kit include, but are not limited to unmatched or torn jerseys, unmatched or torn shorts, non matching sox, and displays of underwear below the shorts. Failure to abide by the published kit regulations may result in fines as determined by the WRFU Disciplinary Committee.

Jerseys

            a.         Cotton and synthetic blends are permitted

            b.         Must full length, with sleeves of at least 2" when measured from the insert seam. Body and sleeve must be hemmed or banded. No T-shirts will be allowed.

            c.         May be of any color or pattern, but all players must be of the same or approximately matching color and pattern.

            d.         Must be clean and in good repair and free from holes, tears, and rips.

            e.         Must be numbered 1-15 in not less than 4" size, numbers assigned to the proper position, in contrasting color, located in mid-center back. Jerseys won by reserves need not be numbered.

            f.         No “mesh” jerseys (open weave) will be allowed.

            g.         No tearaway jerseys will be allowed.

Shorts

            1.         Must be rugby shorts of cotton, cotton blend, or synthetic material.

            2.         May be of any color or length between 2" and knee length, but all players must be of the same or approximately matching color, pattern, and length

            3.         Must be clean and in good repair and free from holes, tears, and rips.

            4.         No portion of underwear may extend beyond the shorts hem

Socks/Stockings

            1.         Cotton, wool, synthetic materials, and blends are permitted.

            2.         Must be of at least over the calf length.

            3.         Any color or pattern permitted, but all players must be of the same or approximately matching color and pattern. Different colors may be worn on each leg provided all players do so.

            4.         Must be clean and in good repair and free from holes, tears, and rips.

Other Comments

1. In exceptional and extraordinary climate conditions, for players safety, additional garment or accessories may be authorized by the referee. Such authorization shall be rarely given.

Event Participation Fees

With the exception of seven’s events, the West will collect participation fees from the clubs entered in Western competitive events. In general, these fees are given to the Western Rugby Referees Society. The fees are used to pay the travel and local expenses of the officials assigned to the events. Fees are required to be paid prior to the first match in any program. No exceptions will be made for late payment. Clubs failing to pay the fees will be disqualified from the event. Further sanctions may also be brought such a club. The fee structure is:

Any Challenge Match = $0

Any Round of Twelve Match = $0

Any Men’s Club Division I Quarterfinal Match = $0

Any Club Championship Event = $150

Any Collegiate Championship Event = $100

Any High School Championship Event = $0

Men’s Collegiate All Star Championship Event = $150

Seven’s Events and Qualifiers = See participant packet for the events

Regulations and Procedures for Competitive Events

1. All players and clubs must be in good standing with their LAU, the West, and USA Rugby. Players must provide proof of dues payment compliance with their LAU, the West, and USA Rugby, valid medical insurance, citizenship/residency status. Players must be free of any disciplinary action by any rugby organization. Players claiming eligibility under the “Three Year Residents” rule must provide proof that USA Rugby has approved such status.

NOTE: ALL participants must have all dues paid to their LAU, the West, and USA Rugby by the schedule that appears below.

2. Player and team check ins will be scheduled as part of each Western event. Details of the procedure and the time allocated to each team will be published in the Participant Packet available to each team on the Western website before the event.

A roster of 28 players is the maximum allowed for a club in any Western club championship competition. The roster for Men’s Collegiate All Star Championship and any Collegiate or High School championship events is unlimited (i.e., the roster is open).

In any club championship event, a maximum of five players who are not either US citizens, permanent residents, or three year residents as defined and cleared by USA Rugby may be included in a 28-person roster or open roster. Only four non-resident players may represent a club on the pitch at any one time. The fifth non-resident player may replace one of the other four non-resident players. This limit does not apply to collegiate championship events.

Roster size for club sevens teams is 12 persons. A maximum of two players who are not either US citizens, permanent residents, or three year residents as defined and cleared by USA Rugby may be included in a 12-person seven’s squad, and both may be on the pitch at the same time.

An Event Roster for all Western programs may be downloaded from the Western website. Event Rosters must be submitted to the Western Administrative Office or the scheduled noted elsewhere is this packet.

3. Teams must identify a player roster for each match in the Western competition. The Match Roster, which can be downloaded from the Western website, must identify front row alternates to meet the regulations below. The squad must meet all the requirements of the Laws regarding qualified substitutes. To wit:

a. No more than seven players may be replaced in a match due to injury and/or tactical substitutions.

b. A squad must have five players minimum who can play in the front row. The match roster must clearly identify the two qualified front row players who are NOT the starting front row. See Law 3 (5) for additional information regarding squad size and the number of front row players

c. See Law #3 (12) for additional information. Questions on the use of replacement players should be addressed to the assigned referee at the Captains’ meeting which is scheduled the night before the competition begins

4. All matches will be played under the Laws of the Game. All XVs matches will have 40 minute halves, except as noted in the match schedule for specific events. With the exception of the final, sevens matches have seven minute halves. The final has ten minute halves with a two minute rest period. Exceptions to the 40 minutes half rule will be noted in the schedule of the specific event. The length of High School matches is detailed in the event packet, but will never be more than regulations. No single high school match will exceed 70 minutes in length. This includes any overtime.

5. Any player concussed during any match will not be eligible to participate further in the weekend’s competition. Such a player may be replaced on his team’s squad by another eligible player. The event medical staff will determine whether a player has been concussed. Their decision is final and not subject to appeal. Definitely concussed players are not allowed to participate in rugby matches or training sessions for three weeks from the date of the concussion and then subject to being cleared by proper neurological examination.

6. All matches will be played using the “sin bin.” Any player sent off in a match will not be eligible to participate further during the weekend’s competition. A club may NOT replace a player who has been so disciplined. Procedures for appealing the sending off and banning of a player during a weekend’s competition may be found in the procedures outlined in the USA Rugby’s Discipline Regulations.

7. Tie matches will be allowed to stand except in matches that lead to advancement in the event or to places in USA Rugby’s Sweet 16 Round. Specifics of which matches must be resolved on the field will be discussed during the Captains’ meeting. Ties that are allowed to stand will be resolved for order of finish/seeding purposes as follows:

i. the greatest number of tries in the tied match, then

ii. the greatest number of tries in all preceding matches, then

iii. the greatest number of points in all matches, then

iv. the team giving up the least number of points in all matches, then

v. a flip of a coin.

In matches that require resolution, except sevens and high school events, the following will occur after full time:

i. a five minute rest period, then

ii. a ten minute period (coin toss for KO or receive), then

iii. a two minute rest period, then

iv. a ten minute period ( reverse KO of first overtime), then if still tied

v. a two minute rest period, then

vi. a sudden death period not to exceed 15 minutes (with a new coin toss) to determine KO or receive, then if no score

vii. a two minute rest period, then

viii. a sudden death period not to exceed 15 minutes. If still no score continue 15 minute sudden death periods until a score occurs.

For High School matches that require resolution on the field, the following tie breaker procedures will be used (in sudden death the first team to score wins and the match ends):

i. a five minute rest period, with a coin toss for kick-off/receive, then

ii. a sudden death period not to exceed five minute, then

iii. a two minute rest period, then teams changes ends, and

vi. a sudden death period not to exceed five minute

v. a five minute rest period, then

vi repeat ii. through v. until one team scores.

Note: High school matches will NOT exceed 70 minutes in length. This includes any time added for overtime/tie game resolution.

For Sevens matches the following regulations from USA Rugby will be used:

Pool matches take place before the knock out round. The win/loss records after the pool matches will determine the order of finish in each pool. Ties in pool matches will stand and NO extra time will be played in pool matches to resolve ties.

Bracket or Pool Tie Breaker Procedures

Points will be awarded to clubs based on their results in their pool matches:

3 points for a win

2 points for a draw

1 point for a loss

0 points for a forfeit/no show

If at the end of pool play, two teams have the same number of points, then the following procedure will be used to determine the leading team:

A) the winner of the match between the two tied teams shall be deemed the leading team.

B) If the match in (A) above is drawn, then the team with the highest margin of points scored for and against shall be deemed the leading team. If the tie remains unresolved then,

C) The team with the highest margin of tries scored for and against shall be deemed the leading team. If the tie remains unresolved then

D) The team that has scored the highest number of points shall be deemed the leading team. If the tie remains unresolved then

E) The team that has scored the highest number of tries shall be deemed the leading team.

If more than two teams are tied, then rules B, C, D, and E from above shall apply.

If teams are still tied after consideration of the above, the leading team will be determined by the flip of a coin

Championship matches may not end in a tie. At the conclusion of regulation time there will be a two minute rest period. Extra time will be played until a winner is determined. Five minute sudden death overtime periods will be played. The first team to score will immediately be declared the winner. The team that first kicked off will do so again in the first period of extra time, and subsequent kick offs will alternate. After each period of overtime, teams will switch ends with no rest interval allowed.

The number of substitutions/injury or other replacements will not increase from the amount set at the beginning of the match. Therefore, if a team has used all of its allowed substitutes in regulation time, they are not allowed additional substitutes/replacements in overtime periods.

Sin bin time stays in place for overtime periods. Sin bin time remains the same in overtime periods - two minutes

7A. The West has competitive programs that involve round robin pool play. In the event of ties after round robin pool play has finished, the following tie breakers procedures will be used: