News

2011-2012 CIPP REGISTRATION STARTS 8/22

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***NOTE:

With the previously announced change of Texas from and LAU to a GU, membership registration with USA Rugby has been delayed one week to 8/22.

This was done so that USA can change/update its CIPP programming to accommodate the new organizational changes and fee structures that are in place as of this weekend by USA Congress.

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Get Ready to Ruck! Membership Week Starts Today!

Dear Valued USA Rugby Member,

The time has come to register for the 2011-2012 USA Rugby Membership Season!  We have been hard at work ensuring our members receive the most value for their membership and we’re thrilled to offer exciting new benefits and extended customer service hours in September and October.

We’ll be highlighting membership benefits throughout the week and letting you know about some great new membership features this year!

2010-2011 Memberships expire on August 31, but don’t worry.  Registration for the 2011-2012 season opens TODAY so you can glide seamlessly between seasons!  Become a member or renew your membership today!

Top 10 Reasons Why You Should Be a USA Rugby Member

10) We’ve got you covered if you have a rugby accident.

USA Rugby members registered for the 2011-2012 Membership Season will receive up to $250,000 of accident insurance.  That means if you’re injured playing, refereeing, or even coaching, you’ll have medical coverage.  If you have primary health insurance,  your USA Rugby Accident Insurance coverage could pay the deductible and cover other out-of-pocket expenses.

9) Keep some money in your pocket by getting great discounts from USA Rugby’s partners!

Save money and support the game you love when you use USA Rugby’s corporate partners such as Hilton Worldwide, Enterprise Rent-a-Car, T-Mobile, Bank of America, and many more!  Click here to see a full list of member benefits.

8) Get a shot at glory! USA Rugby Members can compete for National Championships!

In 2010-2011, USA Rugby crowned 21 National Champions.  USA Rugby members get a chance at making American rugby history by becoming a National Champion in 2011-2012!

7) If you’ve got questions, we’ve got answers.

USA Rugby’s Membership Department will have extended service hours in September and October to provide better customer service.  They will be available to answer your questions and help if you should run into any problems with registration.  Business hours for September and October are 7 a.m.-6 p.m. Mountain Time and 8 a.m. – 12 p.m. on Saturdays!

6) Your USA Rugby Liability Insurance can help you find a place to play!

When you register as a USA Rugby member, you automatically receive third party liability insurance.  Most venues, facilities  and sponsors require this form of insurance, so you’ll be covered.  This policy also helps reduce your personal liability.

5) Become a better referee or coach!

Referee and coaching courses are held exclusively for USA Rugby members so you can hone your skills and knowledge to make you a more effective coach or referee!  Attending these courses is a great way to learn more about the game, connect with your local coaching and refereeing communities, and help to improve the quality of American rugby.

4) We keep our members safe!

In the 2011-2012 season, all Rookie Rugby, youth, high school and college coaches will undergo a thorough background screening to ensure members will enjoy a safe environment in which to play the game.

3) It’s REALLY easy to become a member!

Online registration is quick and easy!  If you run into any snags, our friendly Membership Department is ready to help!  Give them a call 303-530-0300!

2) Be the first to know about exclusive discounts and deals from USA Rugby and its partners!

When you register as a member, you will be the first to know about great new deals and discounts from USA Rugby and its partners!

1) Support the game you love and join the fastest-growing team sports in the United States!

Play the game you love and contribute to the growth of rugby in the United States.  YOU will play an important role in expanding the game in America and you will have a great time doing it!  

 

Become a member today!

Level 1 Officiating Referee Course – University of Texas – September 24, 2011

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TRRA is hosting a Level 1 Referee course at the University of Texas on Sept 24th from 9:00 – 5:00. Participants should dress for activity and lunch will be provided. Please go to the USA Rugby website to register for the course. All course participants must register online prior to the event. Please see pre course requirements below.

Course Date: 09/24/2011
Course Cost: $50 due at registration (cost will be reimbursed upon completing and passing the course)
Course Educator is Rich Prim – 832-860-8468 – rich_prim@yahoo.com
UT contact is Butch Neuenschwander – 512-626-0337
TRRA contact is Traci Schmidtke – 512-968-4888 – tschmidtke@gmail.com
Facebook RSVP

University of Texas
George Sanchez Educational Building –  Map
Room 546 and 556
(Bldg is located across the street from the Bob Bullock Texas History Museum on Martin Luther King Blvd)

The Level 1 Referee Course is the basic course. It covers the referee’s priorities, provides an introduction to the Laws, and examines scrums, ruck/mauls,tackles,offside and advantage with focus on the critical parts and how to referee them. When a student has completed this course, and the accompanying test, they are ready to begin refereeing safely. This is just the first step in a referee’s education, but it is the necessary beginning.

The course will consist of mostly outside practical demonstration/instruction/participation (weather permitting, otherwise inside a gym) and some classroom work. Therefore please dress appropriately and please be ready for some mild physical activity (regular rugby kit is fine–sneakers, shorts/sweatpants, shirt, clothing that can withstand some physical activity!)

The course also includes completing a safety course and a short Law Test. Both must be completed online, with five additional safety questions to be answered during the course. The intention is that the test will serve to familiarize the student with the Law Book and how to use it. The instructor(s) will work with anyone who does not pass the first time so they will achieve the desired understanding.

Students will receive a Law Book, Course Manual, whistle, and cards (red and yellow).

The required pre-course preparational work online for those who register:

Course Preparation
There is a little bit of homework to be completed prior to the course. This is intended to cover subjects that can easily be done on your own, thereby freeing more course time for practical applications.

  • Download a Law Book – Look at the Definitions in the beginning of the Book, scan Law 1 ­ The Ground, and look at the definitions in each of these Laws ­ 10 Foul Play, 11 Offside, 12 Knock-on, 15 Tackle, 16 Ruck, 17 Maul, 19 Lineout and 20 Scrum. Don’t try to memorize anything, just read it once for familiarity.
  • IRB Rugby Ready – At this site you will find a short, on-line safety course offered by the IRB. It is free and takes less than an hour to run through. Once you have signed up, you can do the course in small portions if you don¹t have time to do it all at once. PRINT A COPY OF YOUR RUGBYREADY CERTIFICATE AND BRING IT TO THE COURSE.
  • Laws of the Rugby Game – Complete the short Law test. This will finish 90% of the required Law test for the course certificate ­ in class you will need to answer five safety questions correctly. PRINT A COPY OF YOUR LAW QUIZ COMPLETION CERTIFICATE AND BRING IT TO THE COURSE.

Texas Rugby Referee Association – 2011 Promotions

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On behalf of the TRRA and the Referee Advancement & Training Organization (RATO), it is my pleasure to announce the following referees have been promoted:

L3 Promotions:
Basheer Benhalim
Stan Cagle
Phil Camm
Doug Corrigan
Jimmy Schreiner
Butch Neunschwander
Geoff Taylor
Kyle Witnbaker

L2 Promotions:
Mike Clough
Sean “Bean” Martin
Meg Pace
Traci Schmidtke
Richard Zdunkewicz

The TRRA is excited to have so many referees working towards the next level. I appreciate everyone’s dedication and hard work to themselves and to the success of the TRRA. With this group of referee leaders, the TRRA will have a great 2011-2012 season.

Please join me in congratulating all the referees.

Thank you for your hard work and dedication to improving the Texas Rugby Union.

Traci Schmidtke
TRRA Vice-Chairman
RATO

IRB Memo: Dangerous Tackles and Dangerous Grasping of the Neck and/or Head

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Posted by IRB Laws on August 8th, 2011

Amended Memorandum

TO:  Referees, Citing Commissioners, Judicial Officers, Non legal Judicial Committee Members

 

Samoa centre Brian Lima was banned for three weeks following this dangerous tackle on England fly-half Jonny Wilkinson

FROM:  Paddy O’Brien, IRB Referee Manager, and Tim Gresson, IRB Judicial Panel Chairman

DATE:  4 August 2011

SUBJECT: (i) DANGEROUS TACKLES (HIGH TACKLES) and
(ii) DANGEROUS GRASPING OF NECK AND/OR HEAD AREA OF PLAYER NOT IN POSSESSION OF THE BALL

NOTE: THIS MEMORANDUM REPLACES THE MEMORANDUM OF 21 JANUARY 2011 RELATING TO DANGEROUS TACKLES (HIGH TACKLES)

This is a further memorandum in relation to Dangerous Tackles and the illegal taking out of players who are not in possession of the ball.

Law 10.4(e) in relation to Dangerous Tackles provides as follows:

A player must not tackle an opponent early, late or dangerously.

A player must not tackle (or try to tackle) an opponent above the line of the shoulders even if the tackle starts below the line of the shoulders.  A tackle around the opponent’s neck or head is dangerous play.

A stiff-arm tackle is dangerous play.  A player makes a stiff-arm tackle when using a stiff-arm to strike an opponent.

Playing a player without the ball is dangerous play.

A player must not tackle an opponent whose feet are off the ground.

High Tackles:

At an IRB Medical Seminar held in November 2010 at Lensbury the results of studies by the Rugby Football Union and New Zealand Rugby Football Union concluded that most injuries in Rugby in the elite Game are now occurring as a result of high tackles.  The participants generally recognised that tackles above the line of the shoulders have the potential to cause serious injury and noted that a trend had emerged whereby players responsible for such tackles were not being adequately sanctioned.trend had emerged whereby players responsible for such tackles were not being adequately sanctioned.trend had emerged whereby players responsible for such tackles were not being adequately sanctioned.

Dangerous Grasping:

A further trend has recently emerged in the Game whereby players not in possession of the ball are being grasped and/or grabbed by an opponent in and around the neck and/or head area, principally in an effort to clear out players from the breakdown.  While such behaviour does not come under the definition of a tackle, as no ball carrier is involved nevertheless, it is dangerous play under Law 10.4(e) and/or Law 10.4(f) (playing an opponent without the ball).

The purpose of this revised Memorandum is to emphasise that as with tip tackles, (see Memorandum of 8 June 2009) this type of dangerous play must be dealt with severely by Referees and all those involved in the off-field disciplinary process. As with other types of Illegal and/or Foul Play, depending on the circumstances of the high tackle or the illegal and dangerous taking out of players not in possession of the ball, the range of sanctions can extend from a penalty kick to the player receiving a red card.

An illegal high tackle to the head and/or neck area of the opponent (in particular involving a ‘stiff arm’ or swinging arm), bears all the hallmarks of an action which should result in a yellow card or a red card being seriously considered.

The grasping and twisting of the neck and/or head area of a player to effect either a tackle or to clear out a player not in possession of the ball should also be regarded as constituting serious Illegal and/or Foul Play and Match Officials and Judicial Personnel have a responsibility to ensure that the appropriate action is taken by them.

Referees and Citing Commissioners should not make their decisions based on what they consider was the intention of the offending player.  Their decision should be based on an objective assessment (as per Law 10.4(e) and Law 10.4(f)) of the overall circumstances of the tackle or the clear out.

Paddy O’Brien
Tim Gresson

110804 Memo Dangerous Tackles – August 2011 [DOWNLOAD]

TRRA AGM on Sunday, August 14th

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The TRRA will be holding its Fall General Meeting on Sunday, August 14th in San Marcos, TX.
Meeting tentatively scheduled from 11am to 4pm.

All TRRA members (in good standing) are invited to attend but need to RSVP in advance to ensure adequate room size and lunch reservations.

Agenda items will be posted to the web accordingly and new business items and/or discussion item requests can be sent to JWolfRef@aol.com for addition to the meeting agenda.

We have the Multipurpose Room C in the Student Recreation Center here on TXST Campus reserved from 9-5 on August 13th. The Rec Center is right next to our pitch. Directions are below.

Driving Directions to Pitch From Austin / Dallas / Waco, TX: I35 South to San Marcos; Exit Texas State / Aquarena Springs Dr./Loop 82; Follow the access road to the first traffic light; Turn right onto Aquarena Springs Drive/Loop 82; See In-Town Directions below;
Driving Directions to Pitch From San Antonio, TX: I35 North to San Marcos; Exit Aquarena Springs Dr./Loop 82; Follow the access road to the first traffic light; Turn left onto Aquarena Springs Drive/Loop 82; Pass under I-35 and proceed thru next frontage road light; See In-Town Directions below;
Driving Directions to Pitch from Houston, TX: I10 West; exit @ Luling Hwy. 183; proceed into Luling, take a right at Light, cross RR and a left @ next light onto Hwy 80. CAUTION-Speed trap in Martindale (slow down to 50mph). Take a right @ I35, going north on the feeder road to the next intersection (Aquarena Springs Drive) and take a left. See In-Town Directions below;

IN-TOWN DIRECTIONS
Once onto Aquarena Springs Dr. from I-35; You will pass two traffic lights and cross over a railroad track. Bobcat Stadium (football) will be on your left just before the tracks. You will pass another traffic light and then over the San Marcos River; At the next light (immediately across the river) turn right onto Sessoms Drive; You will pass a stop light and wind around to the top of a small hill t a stop light; continue on Sessoms Drive up a long curved hill and past another light at the intersection of Comanche and Sessoms; You will then pass the Student Recreation Center as the road makes a sharp right-hand turn/curve; As the road curves right, it becomes Academy Street; You will see & pass the athletics fields (Rugby Field is the second one) on your left and turn left on Speck Street (between field and large parking garage). This leads to the parking lot for the athletics field or park in the covered parking garage on your right as you turn onto Speck. Walk back down Academy to the Student Rec Center at the curve. Ask at the front desk for directions to Multipurpose Room C.

Referee appreciation Tuesday night at the Stags Head (HOU)

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Tuesday, July 19 is Referee Appreciation Day in the Houston Area.  Please join Rugby Texas at the Stag’s Head Pub at 6 p.m. to toast all the referees and thank them for all the hard work they put in every year so we can play the great game of Rugby.  There is no door fee, but we do ask that you make sure that no referee is standing around with an empty glass.  The Stag’s Head will be offering special rugby rates on beer and their excellent pub grub.  You will also have the opportunity to win tickets to the Lost Afternoon Rugby Luncheon on August 5 (www.lostafternoon.org), so come out and join us Tuesday evening.

Referee Appreciation Event – July 19, 2011 in Houston, TX

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Jim,
As you know, USA Rugby has designated July as Referee Appreciation Month.  In recognition, Rugby Texas would like to invite all referees to attend a reception in their honor at 6 p.m. on July 19th at the Stag’s Head Pub in Houston, 2128 Portsmouth (just north of Hwy. 59, between Shepherd and Greenbriar).
While this will be a very casual, low key affair, please distribute this invitation to all the referees so that Rugby Texas can display our genuine appreciation for everything you all do.  We recognize that not only are you a vital part of the game, but your leadership in showing boys and girls the right way to play the game is invaluable.
We look forward to seeing you on the 19th.Paul Mabry
Executive Director
Rugby Texas
713-680-9024
713-502-0282 – cell
www.rugbytexas.org

To view the most recent Rugby Texas newsletter, click here:
https://hosted.verticalresponse.com/584017/25eb5b55c4/285101055/e66e8c8ace/

Referee Appreciation Month!

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BOULDER, Colo. – It takes a ref to play rugby.  No matter what level of rugby you play or are a fan of, rugby just wouldn’t be rugby without match officials to make sure the game stays safe, enjoyable and keeps with the longstanding rugby tradition of sportsmanship and fair play.  That is why USA Rugby is pleased to announce that July is Referee Appreciation Month in the United States.

As the sport grows in popularity in the United States, referees play and will continue to play a crucial role in developing the game at all levels.  USA Rugby wants to give current and former referees a nod of appreciation and also encourage people to pick up a whistle and see the game as a referee.

Visit www.usarugby.org in July for features highlighting the men and women who enable so many others to enjoy the sport.  Also, become a fan of USA Rugby on Facebook to take part in referee trivia and a weekly “Ask a Ref” session hosted by USA Rugby’s Referee Development Department.  There will also be interactive contests and promotions on USA Rugby’s Facebook page throughout the month.

Refereeing is a great way to remain or get involved in the sport and, as any referee can attest, is a wonderful way stay in shape.  Whether you want to get involved in community rugby or you see yourself picking up the whistle in the Olympics or a Rugby World Cup, becoming a certified match official is the first step to getting there.

“When I finished my career as a player, I knew that refereeing would allow me to lace up my boots on a Saturday and run around.  If you’re a current player, becoming a certified referee is a great way to understand and think about the game in a way that you never have before,” said USA Rugby Director of Referee Development and longtime whistle blower, Ed Todd.

Todd has seen referee development take large strides in recent years. American match officials have been appointed to senior men’s and women’s international matches, with those appointments becoming more and more frequent.

 

So prepare yourself for July and Referee Appreciation Month because, after all, It Takes a Referee to Play Rugby!

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