BEACH TAG RUGBY INTRODUCTION & RULES 

Tag rugby is a non-contact sport. It is an exciting and enjoyable game that men, women and children of all abilities and ages can enjoy playing. There are no scrums, rucks, mauls or lineouts in tag rugby. The object of tag rugby is to score tries by running with the ball with the aim of touching it on the ground behind the opponents try line. A distinctive feature of tag rugby is that players wear tag rugby belts or tag rugby shorts. These have Velcro patches to which two ribbons are attached. Instead of physically tackling a player who has possession of the ball, tag rugby defending players attempt to remove a ribbon to advance the game.

1.  Zero tolerance of abuse to all members of staff including Umpires/Referee, Merch Team & Bar Staff – this will result in immediate removal from the festival
2. Players must be at the side of the pitch/court ready to play 5 minutes before their scheduled game time, if by the time the hooter goes you are not on the field then you
   will lose your game time
3. Only people with players wristbands allowed on the Rugby Pitches or Netball Courts
4. Any score disputes much be bought to the ‘Rugby Manager’ or ‘Netball Manager’ within 30 minutes of the completion of the game
5. Team captains must be present at the pre-festival briefing.

Beach Tag Rugby rules have been designed for enjoyment of non-contact Rugby. These rules have been produced so that there are some guidelines and principles in place for Beach Tag Rugby. As this is a rugby festival, we will adopt the RFU’s 5 core values of: Teamwork, Respect, Enjoyment, Discipline & Sportsmanship.

THE PITCH  
The beach tournament pitch will be set up on the sand, marked by inflatable surrounds or tape/rope. Any concerns about the playing enclosure or ground should be brought to the referee’s attention immediately.

NUMBER OF PLAYERS  
Teams will consist of 5 players with unlimited substitutions. Interchanges must occur in the sub box and can be made anytime, even during live play. A player must leave the pitch before the replacement enters. Incorrect substitutions by the team in possession will result in a turnover with a ‘Free Tap’, while incorrect substitutions by the team without possession will allow the opposing team to advance 2 meters.

TEAM MAKE UP 
In male and female competitions, all players must be senior players of that gender. Family competition teams must include at least one senior player and three junior players. In the mixed competition, all players must be seniors, with at least two males or two females on the pitch. Senior players are aged 14 or older.

PLAYERS CLOTHING  
Players must wear a tag belt (or tag shorts) with two Velcro-attached ribbons (Tags), positioned on either side of the hips outside their clothing. Footwear with solid bases is not allowed, but socks may be worn.

KICK OFF DECISION 
The Referee perform a toss of either a dance off, an arm wrestle or ‘Rock, Paper, Scissor’ to deem who will start the game. 

TIME  
The game will last 7 minutes without a half time, centrally timed by the ‘Rugby Manager,’ whose decision on time is final. It begins with the hooter and ends at the next tag, score, or infringement after the final hooter. In the knockout stages if scores are level then ‘extra time drop off’ will be played.

STARTS & RESTARTS 
Both teams will start on their own try lines, with one team kicking the ball no higher than head height to cross the halfway line. If the ball doesn’t cross the halfway line, goes out of play, or is kicked above head height, the kicker may be sent to the sin bin. Once the ball passes the halfway line, both teams can play it. If the ball fails to reach halfway, goes out of play, or is kicked overhead height, the non-offending team will start with a ‘Free Tap’ at halfway unless they choose to play the ball. After a try, the scoring side must retreat past the halfway line before moving towards the opposition, who can start running immediately from their own try line. A player who fails to reach halfway and interferes with play will receive a sin bin & a ‘Free Tap’ is awarded to the non-offending side.

SCORING A TRY 
A player must ground the ball against the inflatable surrounding or put it down on/past the try line on a tapped/roped pitch. If a player would have likely scored a try but for foul play, a penalty try is awarded and the offender receives a yellow card.

TACKLE 
A tackle is made when the ball carrier’s tag is removed by an opponent. The tackler must raise the tag, call “Tag!” and either return it to the tackled player or place it on the ground at the tackle site before re-joining the game. Failure to do so results in a ‘Free Tap’ for the tackled player’s team. Opponents must retire behind the ball immediately and not obstruct play. The tackled player has 10 seconds to roll the ball between their legs from the tag’s location or within one stride of it. The ball is back in play once moved by the ‘dummy half’. The tackled player must replace their tag before re-joining the game. The ball will be turned over after the 6^th TAG & the defending side will have a ‘Roll Ball’. If tackled while scoring, the Referee will determine if the tackle was made before the ball was grounded. Any benefit of the doubt will be awarded to the attacking side.

FOUL PLAY 
If any of the below acts of foul play happens during the game, then this results in the opposition getting a ‘Free Tap’: 

• Kicking the ball in open play
• Defender moving from the correct TAG location towards the ball carrier & own line
• Handing off an opposition
• Feeding off an opposition
• Spinning out of a TAG
• Obstructing an opposition getting near the ball carrier

If any of the below acts of foul play happens during the game, then this results in the opposition getting a ‘Free Tap’ & an immediate sin bin: 

• Ball carrier running into a defender with force
• Defender making strong physical contact a ball carrier
• Calling ‘TAG’ when no tag was pulled
• Deliberate Knock On
• Throwing a TAG on the floor (away from the player)
• Throwing the ball away (after a try or turnover)

If any of the below acts of foul play happen, then this will result in being sent off: 

• Abuse (Physical or Verbal) of the opposition
• Abuse (Physical or Verbal) of the referee team
• Abuse (Physical or Verbal) of the event staff

KNOCK ON/FORWARD PASS 
A knock-on occurs when a player loses ball possession, or contacts the ball with hand or arm, and the ball goes forward to touch the ground or another player before this player gains, or regains, possession. Forward means towards the opposing team’s goal line. A forward pass occurs when a player throws or passes the ball forward. If either of these offences happen then a ‘Roll Ball’ is given to the opposition. 

TOUCHLINE
In Beach Tag Rugby, there are no lineouts. On the inflatable pitch, the ball and ball carrier can touch the inflatable surround and remain in play unless the ball touches the ground or someone outside the field. On the roped or taped pitch, the ball is in touch when the ball or any part of the player carrying it touches the line or anything beyond it. The spot where the ball or player crosses the touchline marks where it went into touch. The referee awards a ‘Roll Ball’ to the opposing team when the ball is deemed in touch.

ROLL BALL 
When a roll ball is given by the referee the ball must be rolled between a player & legs with the opposition back 2m from this location. The ball is deemed back in play once the ball has been moved by the ‘dummy half’.

FREE TAP 
Free Taps are awarded to the non-offending team for infringements by their opponents. The opposing team must immediately run towards their own goal line until they are at least two metres away from the mark for the free tap or until they have reached their goal line if that is nearer the mark. Even if the free tap is taken and the tapper’s team is playing the ball, opposing players must keep running until they have retired the necessary distance. They must not take part in the game until they have done so. If the free tap is taken so quickly that opponents have no opportunity to retire, they will not be penalised for this. However, they must continue to retire the necessary distance or until a teammate who was tap metres from the mark has run ahead of them, before they take part in the game. If they get involved in play before they are back in play, then they will receive a yellow card. 

YELLOW CARD/SIN BIN 
If you receive a yellow card during a game, you are sent to the sin bin & must leave the field immediately through the interchange box. You are not allowed to be replaced & your team will play with less players. You will be in the sin bin for 1 minute. Once the one minute has been completed then you can return to the game or be replaced by another player. 2 sin bins do not make a sending off. A player can be given more than 1 yellow card in a game.

SENDING OFF 
If you receive a red card during a game, then you are sent off & must leave the field immediately. You will not be replaced for the rest of the game & your team will be play with 1 less player. Any sending off will be reviewed by the ‘Rugby Manager’, ‘Rugby Referees Manager’ & ‘Tournament Organisers’ to see if any further action, potential ban, is required. If a player is banned for any number of games & is, then seen to be participating before their ban finishes then their team will forfeit the game & lose 5-0. 

EXTRA TIME DROP OFF 
At the point a drop off needs to be played then the team will lose a player each. In the families competition then this will consist of a minimum of 2 senior players & 2 junior player, in the mixed competition this will consist of a minimum of 2 males or females. The 2 captains will play ‘Rock, Paper, Scissors’ to see who will restart the game. When the game is restarted then the players have 1 minute to score before each team drops another player (play will continue from the location of the drop off). In the families competition then this will consist of at least 1 senior player & 1 junior player, in the mixed competition this will consist of a minimum of 1 female. The play will continue from the moment it was stopped to remove the player. If there is still no score after another minute then each team will drop another player. In the families competition then this will consist of 1 senior & 1 junior, in the mixed competition this will consist of 1 male & 1 female. If after another minute, then these 2 players will be swapped with another 2 players & this will continue until someone scores.