Laws for SA Primary Schools
SA Referees have announced the variation on the Laws of the Game as they will apply to primary schools in 2015.
These are the ways in which primary school laws will differ from international laws, which are the laws played in Super Rugby and Currie Cup, and in fact from World Rugby's variations for rugby played at below 19 years of age and to the law variations between the ages of 9 and 13.
These are the only variations for Under-9 to Under-13 rugby in South African primary schools.
Law 1 – THE GROUND
Law 1.3 (b) The dash lines parallel to the touchlines at 5m and 15m are replaced with dash lines running 3m and 13m from the touchlines.
Law 2 – THE BALL
Law 2.7 A number four (4) ball is to be used for the age group Under-9 to Under-13.
Law 3 – NUMBER OF PLAYERS
Law 3.4 (b) Up to seven (7) players may be replaced during a game.
Law 3.5 (a) The reserves for Youth Week tournaments and provincial matches must include three (3) front row players (Loose head prop, Hooker & tight head prop) who are suitable trained and experienced for these positions.
Law 3.12 A player that was substituted (tactically) may replace an injured player.
Law 4 – PLAYERS’ CLOTHING
Definitions - Amend 2nd paragraph
A player wears a jersey, shorts and underwear. All players must play barefoot.
Law 4.1 (f) The use of mouth guards by all players is recommended but compulsory for all players in provincial teams. (There is a small number of schools in the Western Province and in KwaZulu-Natal who play in boots when they play each other but barefooted when they play teams without boots.)
Law 5 – TIME
Law 5.1 For the age group Under-9 to Under-12 a match comprises two halves of twenty (20) minutes running time.
For Under-13 a match comprises two halves of twenty-five (25) minutes running time.
Law 5.2 A maximum of five (5) minutes will be allowed for half-time.
law 5.4 (a) A maximum of five (5) minutes injury time will be allowed in a match.
Law 9 – METHOD OF SCORING
Law 9.B.1 (b) For Under-9 to Under-11 age groups, conversion kicks for tries scored between the 13m line and touchline shall be taken on the 13m line.
Law 10 FOUL PLAY
Law 10.4 (m) A player must not create the impression at the tackle that he is been played in the air by jumping over a player (acts contrary to good sportsmanship).
Sanction: Penalty Kick
Law 10.4 (e) Add: No sling tackle is allowed, it’s dangerous play. A player makes a tackle by grabbing the ball-carrier's clothing and executing a swinging action to bring the ball-carrier to ground. Sanction: Penalty Kick
Law 10.5 (a) Yellow Card suspensions will be for five (5) minutes running time.
Procedure for suspending a player:
* The referee must call the team’s coach onto the field and inform him of the reason for the temporary or permanent suspension of the player (There should be no debate as this is informative and not justification).
* A yellow or red card is shown and the suspended player must remain with the team’s coach during that period.
* No replacement is allowed for the suspended player except when a front row or lock is suspended (temporary or permanent). The coach must remove a back row (loose forward) player so that the team is reduced to fourteen (14) and send a replacement front row player/lock onto the field to replace the suspended player.
Law 17 – MAUL
Law 17.6 Add (c): Once the maul has moved forward more than ten (10) metres in the field of play towards the dead ball line the referee will shout
“Play”. Should the ball not come out within five (5) seconds then the maul has ended and a scrum is awarded (for safety reason) to the team moving forward.
Law 19 – TOUCH and line-out
Law 19.6 The ball must be thrown straight so that it travels at least three (3) metres along the line of touch before it first touches the ground or a player.
Law 19.8 (a) All seven (7) suitably trained forward players (positions 1 to 8) must take part in the line-out. There must be no interchange between forwards and backline players. Short line-outs are not allowed. Only on account of injury, may a team form a line-out with less than seven (7) players. The opposing team must still have seven (7) players in the line-out.
Law 19.8 (h) The front of the line-out is not less than three (3) metres from the touchline. The back of the line-out is not more than thirteen (13) metres from the touchline. All penalty and free kick sanctions are given on the thirteen (13) metre line from touch.
Law 19.8 (i) Only a backline player may take up the position of receiver and may not change positions with a player in the line-out before the ball is thrown.
Law 19.9 (b) Add: When the ball is caught in the line out and held, all the players in the line-out must join the formed ruck or maul until it ends, except the receiver (This excludes the player throwing in the ball and his immediate opponent in the 3m area who has four options as per the WR law book – see law 19.11)
Law 19.13 (c) The offside line for players not taking part in the line-out is five (5) metres from the line of touch.
Law 20 – SCRUM
Law 20.1 (e) Only suitably trained forward players (positions 1 to 8) may take part in scrums. There must be no interchange between forwards and backline players.
Law 20.3 (f) The number eight (8) must bind between the two locks.
Law 20.12 (b) The offside line for both scrumhalves is the middle line of the scrum.
GENERAL
* A decision was made on the roaming of coaches which will be incorporated in the SA 2015 law book – under technical zone protocol:
- Age group Under-9 to Under-11 - Roaming by a coach, maximum one (1) is allowed.
- Age group Under-133 – No Roaming by a coach are allowed.
* Scrum variations for the different age groups as per the SARU document distributed in 2013 – are applicable and will be incorporated into the SA 2015 law book
These variations are available in Afrikaans and Xhosa. If you want them, ask paul@sportsmedia365.com