Discipline
Procedures for club secretaries
All disciplinary procedures are set out in the RFU Regulation 19 which can be found in the RFU Handbook or online here.
Red Cards
The procedures to be followed in the event of a player being sent off are set out in Appendix 1 below. A player is banned immediately upon being sent off and cannot play again until the matter is dealt with by a discipline panel.
Hearings
Hearings are normally held on Mondays at The Twickenham Club, TW1 3NJ. Please arrive 15 minutes before the scheduled time of the hearing. A hearing fee will be payable as indicated on the charge sheet. Details of fees are shown at Appendix 2 below including bank details.
All MCRFU hearings have a strict dress code, requiring the wearing of a suit or blazer and tailored trousers, and tie. Please ensure your player knows this and appears correctly dressed.
Ensure the player has seen the referee’s report. If it is to be challenged you must request the attendance of the referee at the hearing. Request his attendance (via Middlesex’s Disciplinary Secretary – do not contact the referee directly) as soon as possible after the sending off. The club will be liable for the referee’s expenses.
If a player, with the support of the club, decides to plead not guilty and the next scheduled hearing is not before the next scheduled fixture, the club may request a special, non-scheduled, hearing which will deal with the case before the club’s next scheduled match. The venue for a non-scheduled hearing doesn’t have to be at The Twickenham Club, and can be held at a suitable local club. Any costs involved in staging such an ‘ad hoc’ hearing at an alternative venue must be met by the player and/or the club.
Club Disciplinary Procedures
Clubs must have a disciplinary sub-committee, which should formally consider any discipline issues and apply the appropriate sanction as set out in Appendix 2 of RFU Regulation 19.1.4 in the handbook.
A club disciplinary committee should be proactive and meet regularly to review and implement policies relating to club discipline in general, and the behaviour of the club’s players, officials, members and spectators. The club Discipline Secretary’s details must be kept up to date on the RFU’s GMS system.
Citings
Citings must be made within seven days of the event. Procedures are set out here. It is advisable to contact Middlesex’s Discipline Secretary as soon as possible if you anticipate making a citing.
Age grade rugby
The procedures for age grade rugby differ slightly. Schools or club have delegated responsibility to carry out the disciplinary process following one of their age grade players being sent off or cited. Middlesex’s Schools and Youth Disciplinary Secretary must be informed of the decision for his review. The CB’s Youth Discipline Secretary (CBYDS) in Middlesex is Caron Evans-Evans.
Schools and clubs must notify the CBYDS of all red cards issued and send a copy of their decisions relating to these to the CBYDS within one month of the incident. There is a fee of £25 for failing to follow this process.
Deterrent sanctions
Middlesex County RFU will continue to reserve the right to apply a deterrent sanction for those guilty of disrespect of referees or verbally abusing referees. As the number of such cases continues at an alarming level, the deterrent sanction will remain in force for the current season and shall be: ”any person found guilty of disrespecting or abusing a referee can expect to have his or her sanction increased according to the RFU policy document published January 2024 with up to 4 matches added to any such sanction. This applies to all involved in rugby union within Middlesex including players, coaches and spectators”.
Further deterrent sanctions will also apply to incidents involving Young Match Officials and for adults sanctioned under 5.12, who are involved with age-grade teams increases of between 50% and 100% may be applied in such cases.
Please ensure that all within your club are aware of this.
Regulation 5.12
The County has the power to discipline any player, official, member, or employee of a Member Club or a Rugby body (or any other person or body that submits to Rugby Football Union’s jurisdiction to discipline them) for any matter that the County considers brings the game into disrepute.
Further Information
If you have any queries relating to general disciplinary procedures or if you need any advice on specific cases relating to your club, please contact:
Disciplinary Secretary: John Orr
Email: moc/ybgurxeselddim//enilpicsid
CB Schools & Youth Disciplinary Secretary: Caron Evans-Evans
Email: Youthdiscipline@middlesexrugby.com
Appendix 1 – Red Card Notification
If a player or any other person from your club is ‘ordered off’ you must within 48 hours tell the disciplinary secretary, by e-mail confirming:
- The date of the fixture
- The location of the fixture
- The teams in the match
- The player’s name, date of birth and RFU registration number. If the player is not registered then the club must register the player within 48 hours of the red card
- The referee’s name
- Will the player plead guilty or not guilty to the offence?
Appendix 2 – Hearing fees
Hearing fees are payable by electronic transfer to:
- Middlesex County RFU
- Account no 01066848
- Sort Code 30-92-82
The fees are as follows:
Attendance at a Hearing: £100
Second hearing after failure to attend without good reason: £100
Remote/Online hearing: £50/75
5.12 Hearing: £100
Citing: £125
Failing to notify Discipline Secretary about a Red Card by 9:00 a.m. on the second day after the fixture: £25
Please note any cry-offs by players or clubs after 9pm on Friday prior to a hearing will incur the £100 fee.
