The schedule for the 2010 Lonestar 7s has been finalized and released. Good luck to all of the Women’s Teams attending! (For the FULL schedule including men, go here.)

YSC is playing with the Satiated Beavers and will provide LIVE scores (on Facebook and Twitter) and videos from the match. Check back next week to watch the videos!

YSC is playing with the Satiated Beavers and will provide LIVE scores (on Facebook and Twitter) and videos from the match. Check back next week to watch the videos!

If you need any kit, Red Rhino will be on hand at the tournament.

Description: The Florida Rugby Referee Association will be holding a Level 1 Officiating Courses. The purpose of this introductory course is to enable officials to acquire basic skills to officiate safe, enjoyable competition. This course is required for anyone who wishes to referee any match that could potentially lead to a national championship. Students who have passed the exam and refereed three games will be then be eligible to have the course cost reimbursed by FRU.

Cost: $65.00 Checks can be made payable to FRRA.

Course Information: The Level 1 Course is the basic referee’s course. It covers the referee’s priorities, provides an introduction to the Laws of the game, risk management as well as examining scrums, rucks/mauls, tackles, line-outs, offside and advantage with focus on the critical aspects of the game and how to referee them. The course does not go through the Laws of the game page by page. There is an open book test at the end of the course which students will take and marked on the day so you will know when you leave whether or not you have passed. Attendees will need to wear comfortable clothing suitable for both classroom and on the field practical sessions.

How to register: Participants are required to confirm their attendance ASAP. To confirm attendance please email rugbyreffl@aol.com ; include your name, address (postal, city, state, zip code), date of birth, contact email address, daytime phone number. A follow up email will be
sent to confirm your attendance.

Gerry FitzGerald
754 245 0215(cell)

via my inbox and from USA Rugby:

USA Rugby Referees’ management has established guidelines for refereeing at all levels in USA Rugby. These guidelines enable players and referees to have a clearer approach to the game, to enable consistency in Law application throughout the country.

Below I have provided a few links to the guide as I am not sure when the links might go bad:

Link 1
Link 2
Link 3
Link 4

Let me know if one of the links breaks and I will update it with a good one.

via my inbox and BBC Sport:

The controversial rule change which led to the maul almost becoming extinct is set to be rejected by rugby chiefs.

An International Rugby Board conference has discussed the impact of the experimental law variations (ELVs) being trialled around the world.

After two days of review, 10 ELVs have been recommended to be passed into law.

But the variation allowing mauls to be pulled down was thrown out while the ELV which sees most offences penalised with a free-kick is to be reviewed.

ELVs recommended to be passed into law:
Law 6 – Assistant referees allowed
Law 19 – Kicking directly into touch from ball played back into 22 equals no gain in ground
Law 19 – Quick throw permitted in any direction except forward
Law 19 – Positioning of player in opposition to the player throwing-in to be two metres away from line-out and the line of touch
Law 19 – Pre-gripping of line-out jumpers allowed
Law 19 – Lifting in the line-out allowed
Law 19 – Positioning of receiver must be two metres away from line-out
Law 20 – Five-metre offside line at the scrum
Law 20 – Scrum-half offside line at the scrum
Law 22 – Corner posts no longer touch in goal

ELVs not recommended:
Law 17 – Maul, head and shoulders not to be lower than hips
Law 17 – Maul, pulling down the maul
Law 19 – Freedom for each team to determine line-out numbers

ELVs sent for further examination:
Sanctions and free-kicks

also from the Planet Rugby:

All the latest prices and markets. Place your first bet and Sky Bet will match it up to £20

Rugby’s Experimental Law Variations (ELVs) could be scrapped following the outcomes of an IRB meeting being held in London.

The International Rugby Board (IRB) is holding a two-day meeting in London with member unions and other stakeholders from around the globe to report on the laws trials and to decide which measures will be put to a formal vote, reports the New Zealand Herald.

Reports out of the United Kingdom claim most of the ELVs will be abandoned. Even the law that draws the offside line five metres back from the scrum, to give attackers more space, could be binned.

While many complain about rugby’s breakdown problems, All Blacks skipper Richie McCaw has an idea of how to fix the issue. He says helping referees is crucial and a way has to be worked out to help them see more of what is going on.

McCaw is ambivalent as to whether they change the law at the breakdown but says keeping the defensive line five metres back at scrums is a must.

The Rugby Football Union’s Rob Andrew has also questioned the new laws positive impact.

“I don’t think they have delivered what the IRB lawmakers thought they would,” Andrew, the RFU’s director of elite rugby, told the BBC.

“There are significant discussions to be had around the sanctions, the line-out numbers, the maul and probably around the kicking. Has that been the cause of the aerial ping-pong which nobody seems able to stop once it starts?” he said.

“Ironically one of the reasons these rules were brought in was because people thought there was too much kicking in the World Cup in 2007. The statistics tell us that there is more kicking now than there was then.

“With all these decisions there are often unintended consequences. Now we’ve got to debate that with the statistics and evidence to make an informed decision in May.”

The ELVs‘ fate will finally be decided at an IRB Council vote on 13 May.

via my inbox and from IRB.com:

Learning about a new sport can be daunting for players, coaches and spectators alike, but help is at hand with ‘A Beginner’s Guide to Rugby Union’ that has been created by the International Rugby Board.

The brainchild of IRB Chief Executive Mike Miller, the Beginner’s Guide is specifically targeted at new players, coaches, parents and spectators who know nothing or very little about the Game of Rugby.

The Guide is currently available in six languages – English, French, Spanish, Chinese, Russian and Portuguese – and will shortly become the first IRB resource to be published in Hindi. Further Guides in Italian and Japanese will follow.

“The Guide provides beginners with an explanation of Rugby’s history, ethos, some key elements of the Game, what the various positions do and the physical and technical skills they require,” explained IRB Training Manager Mark Harrington.

“It also gives a brief explanation of refereeing and why the whistle blew, as well as directing them to some other resources, advising how to join a club and more.

“We would ask that our Member Unions distribute this Beginner’s Guide as widely as possible and also place it on their own websites to ensure it reaches as many people as possible.”

Following the completion of this project, the next thing on the agenda will be the production of a new Law book in seven languages following the IRB Council’s decision on which, if any, of the Experimental Law Variations will be adopted into Law.

“There will also be a new Laws education website with video, online questions and more … basically the Law book in images with a self-test capacity,” added Harrington.

Click on the link below to download the Beginner’s Guide in your preferred language:

A Beginner’s Guide to Rugby Union – English

A Beginner’s Guide to Rugby Union – French

A Beginner’s Guide to Rugby Union – Spanish

A Beginner’s Guide to Rugby Union – Portuguese

A Beginner’s Guide to Rugby Union – Chinese

A Beginner’s Guide to Rugby Union – Russia