Tournament Format

Teams competing in a 24 team tournament will be grouped into 6 pools of 4.

Play on the first day of the Tournament will consist of matches between teams in the same pool on a round robin basis. No extra time will be played in pool matches. Points will be awarded for these matches on the following basis:

Win = 3 points
Draw = 2 points
Loss = 1 point
No show = 0 points

(i) If a Team wilfully refuses to play, or wilfully abandons a Match in progress, without the prior consent of the Match Referee, then, subject to confirmation by the Disputes Committees, that Team will be expelled from the Tournament.

(ii) If a Team has been expelled from the Tournament, for whatever reason, then

- that Team shall be deemed to have been awarded no pool competition table points and to have scored no tries or points in the pool Matches; and

- for the purposes of determining standings in the pool competition table, all Match results against such Team shall be deemed null and void. This means that all pool competition table points awarded in Matches against the expelled Team and tries and points scored or conceded in Matches against such Team will not be taken into account in determining standings in the pool competition table.

Determining Pool Table Standings

Position in the pool competition table shall be determined by competition points as set out above.

If at the conclusion of the pool stage two Teams are equal on competition points for any position in the pool, such position in the pool competition table will be determined on the result of the Match between the two equal Teams. The Team that won that Match shall be deemed to have finished higher in the pool competition table.

If the Match between the two Teams equal on competition points at the end of the pool stage was a draw, then the following process shall be used to determine the placings.

(i) The margin of points scored for and against a Team in all pool Matches shall be considered. The Team with the highest positive margin of points shall be ranked higher in the pool competition table:- if the tie remains unresolved then:

ii) The margin of tries scored for and against a Team in all pool Matches shall be considered. The Team with the highest positive margin of tries shall be ranked higher in the pool competition table: if the tie remains unresolved then:

(iii) The Team that has scored the highest number of points in the pool Matches shall be ranked higher in the pool competition table: if the tie still remains unresolved then;

(iv) The Team that has scored the highest number of tries in the pool Matches shall be ranked higher in the pool competition table: if the tie still remains unresolved then:

(v) The tie will be resolved by the toss of a coin between the Team Mangers concerned

If at the end of the pool stage more than two Teams are tied on points then the following process shall be used to determine the placings:

(i) The margin of points scored for and against a Team in all pool Matches will be considered. The Team with the highest positive margin of points shall be ranked highest in the pool competition table: if the tie remains unresolved then:

(ii) The margin of tries scored for and against a Team in all pool Matches will be considered. The Team with the highest positive margin of tries shall be ranked higher in the pool competition table, if the tie remains unresolved then:

(iii) The Teams concerned shall be ranked by reference to the number of points scored in all pool Matches. The Team with the highest number of points scored in the pool Matches shall be ranked higher in the pool competition table: if the tie remains unresolved then:

(iv) The Teams concerned shall be ranked by reference to the number of tries scored in all pool Matches. The Team with the highest number of tries scored in the pool Matches shall be ranked higher in the pool competition table: if the tie remains unresolved then:

(v) The tie will be resolved by the toss of a coin between the Team Managers concerned.

Knock Out Competition : 24 Team Format

Following the completion of the pool games in the 24 team format, teams are re-seeded and divided into three groups of eight as follows :

Cup (Melrose Cup)
Winner A - 1st
Winner B - 2nd
Winner C - 3rd
Winner D - 4th
Winner E - 5th
Winner F - 6th
Best 2nd place - 7th
2nd Best 2nd place - 8th

Plate
3rd best 2nd place - 9th
4th best 2nd place - 10th
5th best 2nd place - 11th
6th best 2nd place - 12th
Best 3rd place - 13th
2nd best 3rd place - 14th
3rd best 3rd place - 15th
4th best 3rd place - 16th

Bowl
5th best 3rd place - 17th
6th best 3rd place - 18th
Best 4th place - 19th
2nd best 4th place - 20th
3rd best 4th place - 21st
4th best 4th place - 22nd
5th best 4th place - 23rd
6th best 4th place - 24th

Teams play each other in their pool as follows and thereafter semi-finals and finals in each pool.

Cup (Melrose Cup title)
1st plays 8th
2nd plays 7th
3rd plays 6th
4th plays 5th

Plate
9th plays 16th
10th plays 15th
11th plays 14th
12th plays 13th

Bowl
17th plays 24th
18th plays 23rd
19th plays 22nd
20th plays 21st

Duration of Matches

The duration of Matches, other than the cup final, will be seven minutes each
half with a two-minute half time interval. The duration of the cup final will be ten minutes each half with a two-minute half time interval.

Drawn Matches

During the Knock-out Competitions, in the event of a Match being drawn at the end of normal time, extra time will be played until a winner is determined. Extra time will be in periods of five minutes. After each period the Teams will change ends without interval. In extra time the Team which scores first will immediately be declared the winner without further play.

The Team that first kicked off will do so again in the first period of extra time, and subsequent kick-offs will alternate between the two sides.

Abandonment of Matches

Apart from the willful abandonment of a match and subsequent expulsion under 8.6 in the event of a Match having to be stopped after its commencement under the provisions of the Laws of the Game, then subject to confirmation by the Disputes Committee, the following procedure shall apply:

Pool Matches

Where a pool Match has been abandoned either at half-time or at any time in the second half the result and any points and tries scored by each team in the match shall stand.

Where a pool Match has been abandoned during the first half the result shall be declared a draw.

Where a pool Match has been declared a draw then for that Match each Team will be awarded two Match points and any points and tries scored will count towards the total points and tries scored by each Team in all their pool matches

Knock-out matches

Where a Match has been abandoned either at half time or at any time in the second half the result shall stand. If both Teams are tied then the Team having scored the most tournament points shall be declared the winner. If this does not produce a winner then the provision within clause 8.3 shall be used to ascertain a winner. However, if one of the Teams participated in a Pool where a Team was expelled, for whatever reason, then the matter will be referred to the Disputes Committee which shall decide the most appropriate method for determining the winner of the tied knock out Match.

If a Match has been abandoned during the first half the result shall be declared a draw and the provisions within clause 8.3 shall be used to ascertain the winner. However, if one of the Teams participated in a Pool where a Team was expelled, for whatever reason, then the matter will be referred to the Disputes Committee which shall decide the most appropriate method for determining the winner of the tied knock out Match.