Tournament Format

Teams competing in a 16 team tournament (women's) will be grouped into 4 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 : 16 Team Format

Following the completion of the pool games in the 16 team format, the Pool winners and the second placed teams will progress to the Cup and Plate Competition respectively.

The third and fourth placed teams will play in a knock-out with the winners progressing to the Bowl Competition.

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.