Event Information
Booking
- This is a Mega-Festival level event.
- If an event reaches capacity, schools will be placed on a waiting list and advised accordingly. MSSP will contact schools if places become available in the lead up to the event.
Event Eligibility
- The festival will comprise a circuit of both rugby skill development games as well as mini matches.
- The intent and principles of the festival have been designed to support pupils learning of the different activities and not be restricted by enforcement of the rules. We anticipate that many children may not have attended one of our sports events before and aim for children to learn more about the sports and skills throughout the day.
- Children will get to experience and participate in a range of different skill-based stations.
- We endeavour to design our Multi-Skill Festivals to be accessible and enjoyable for SEND participants. Please let us know if you plan to bring children with either communication and interaction needs, cognition and learning difficulties, social, emotional and mental health difficulties or sensory and physical needs. We will be mindful when shaping our festivals to amend activities to suit any participants with these needs and impairments.
Team Eligibility
- Age: Year 3/4
- Mixed gender event
- Games will be 7 a-side. There must be at least 3 girls on the pitch at any time
- Squad size: maximum of 10, minimum of 7
Kit & Equipment
- All schools MUST provide their own First Aid kit and first aid
- Please provide own warm up balls. Match balls are provided.
- Trainers/Astro, moulded and studded boots are allowed. No metal blades will be permitted. The event will take place on a grass field with minimal shelter from the weather.
- Schools should supply all players with a ‘tag belt’ that has two ribbons (tags) attached to Velcro. The belt must be worn around the waist with all loose clothing tucked in. The tags are positioned either side of the hips.
- Players of the same team should wear the same colour tops/bibs.
- No jewellery, baseball caps etc.
- It is advised that if eyewear is essential, it should be made from plastic rather than glass.
Rugby Mega Fest Rules
- Ball carriers can run or dodge potential taggers but cannot fend off, guard or shield their tags.
- Players are permitted to spin away from a defender but are NOT permitted to continuously spin.
- Diving in any instance, including scoring a try, is not permitted.
- The game will commence with a Rip and Pass.
- Kicking is not permitted in this Yr 3/4 version of the game.
- If a try has not been scored after 7 tags, possession turns over to the defending team at the point of the last tag.
- Any acts of unsporting behaviour will result in a handover to the non-offending team at the place where the incident occurred. Play will restart with a ‘Rip-and-Pass’ with the defensive team being positioned 5 metres back.
- 2 tags must always be attached for the attacker carrying the ball. If this is not the case, the referee will bring the play back to the previous point of restart with the previous tag count.
Rip-and-Pass: (Attacking Team)
- The ball carrier must return to the spot where the tag occurred.
- Turning to face their own team, the ball carrier presents the ball.
- The nearest support player to ball carrier will come in and rip (take) the ball from this position. This player is called the Dummy Half and must pass the ball sideways or backwards from the Rip and should not run forwards.
- The Dummy Half can take a step laterally to assist with passing. You cannot score as a Dummy Half.
- Any player can be the Dummy Half and the player at Dummy Half could change at every ‘Rip-and-Pass’.
- On a penalty infringement – a ‘Rip-and-Pass’ must be used to restart the game – defenders must retreat 5 metres back.
Offside:
Defence…
- If a defender does not retreat 5 metres after a tag, they will be deemed to be offside.
- If a tag is made from an offside position, the attacker can pass directly to a team mate to continue the phase but must reattach their tag before joining back in – This tag will not add to the tag count.
- Repeated or deliberate offside offences will be penalised as unsporting behaviour & the tag count reset to zero.
Attack…
- Attacking players cannot receive a pass in front of the ball carrier. This will be deemed to be offside as a forward pass has occurred. This will result in a changeover in possession.
Tagging:
- Only the player in possession of the ball can be tagged.
- A ’tag’ is made by a defender removing a tag from the ball carriers’ belt.
- When a defender has removed the tag, he/she stands still at the point at which the tag was removed.
- The ball carrier returns to where the defender is holding the tag and restarts the game by a ‘Rip-and-Pass’ in the correct manner.
- Immediately before a ‘Rip-and-Pass’, the tagger must re-attach the tag that has been taken, back onto their belt. This prevents any disadvantage in the play.
- Players cannot take part in the game without both tags properly in place on their belt – one tag positioned on each hip – not in front or behind.
Scoring a Try:
- A try is scored by placing or touching the ball down on or over your opponents’ try line.
- If tagged in the act of scoring the try will stand. The attacker is permitted 1 step / 1 metre after being tagged to place the ball down.
- After a try has been scored the non-scoring team will restart with a ‘Rip-and-Pass’ on the halfway line.
- All other starts and restarts will be with a ‘Rip-and-Pass’ whatever the situation.
For Tag Rugby based skilled games through School Games, please visit:
https://media.yourschoolgames.com/documents/sport-format-resources/Rugby_Union_Primary_Format.pdf
Competition Format
- The festival will comprise a circuit of both rugby skill development games as well as 7 a-side mini matches.
- We aim to implement the new set of T1 rules that can be found below.
- No scores will be recorded. The festival is primarily focused on participation and skill development.
Awards
- REFSPECT winners – Certificate
- Participation certificates will be presented to all participants.
Progression Pathway
- No scores will be recorded or placing awarded.
- There is no planned pathway from this event.
Staffing & Spectators
- On any school/private club sites: Spectators will not be permitted entry to any school/private sports facilities.
- Primary schools must inform parents in advance when inviting students to take part.
- All staff attending the event must have enhanced DBS clearance and have been fully vetted by their primary school.
- DBS numbers, full name and school will be required in advance by the host school.
MSSP Duty of Care
At Merton School Sport Partnership, the safety, wellbeing and inclusion of every participant is our highest priority. Our Duty of Care framework outlines the measures we take to ensure all events are safe, enjoyable and accessible, covering key areas including safeguarding, health and safety, equality, diversity and inclusion, risk assessments, medical provision, codes of conduct, photography and data protection.
We ask all schools, staff, volunteers and participants to familiarise themselves with these expectations before attending MSSP events.
For full details, please download the MSSP Duty of Care document or visit the relevant section of our website HERE for further guidance, policies and event information.