Discipline is one of the core values of our game, as a consequence it is crucial all clubs comply with the regulations regarding discipline matters.
The procedures and regulations (RFU Regulation 19) can be found by following the link below:
Contacts
RFU discpline key links
red cards
Red Card Notification
The referee’s society aim to notify the discipline secretary by 12 noon on the Monday following a red card or within 48 hours following a midweek fixture.
Clubs must notify / confirm by email the red card within 48 hours of any dismissal. The email should include the players name, date of birth, RFU registration number and the fixture details (i.e. date, location and teams).
What Happens Next?
The discipline team will review each case and notify the club/school /college by email of next steps.
The discipline team will review each case and notify the club by email of next steps.
An email will be sent detailing the offence, a copy of the referee's report and whether the player will need to attend a hearing, usually via zoom, or a physical hearing or be dealt with by email. The severity of the case and the guilty or not guilty plea determines the hearing type. Hearings are held fortnightly
Note: Clubs are expected to hold internal hearings as soon as practical following a red card. In ALL cases a player who has received a red card CANNOT play until the appropriate sanction has been confirmed.
In the case of junior rugby the Chair of Discipline will advise the club to convene a hearing and deal with the case accordingly. Guidance on sanctions will also be included.
Note: adults, e.g. coaches, contravening the regulations will be dealt with under the adult disciplinary process
Note: there may be exceptions to the above which will be dealt with by the Chair of Discipline. In ALL cases a player who has been shown a red card CANNOT play until the appropriate sanction has been approved by the Chair of Discipline / Discipline Secretary.
The fee for a hearing is £50.
Following a hearing the Player will be sent a ‘Short Judgement Form’ detailing the sanction (i.e. games to be missed) and instructions on how to pay the Administration Fees to the SRFU.
If payment is not received from the Player within 14 days the Club will be sent an invoice for the Administration Fees. The club has 7 days to pay the invoice. Non-payment could lead to the club being sanctioned and the player is not available for selection until payment has been received.
There are no fees for dealing with two yellow cards equals a red card
Fees do not apply to junior cases.
citing
Citings must be made within 7 days of the event. Procedures are set out in Regulation 19 (appendix 4)
adult DISCIPLINARY hearings 2024-25
The following link provides a summary of the outcome of all of the Adult Hearings heard in the 2024-25 season.