League Competition 

The competition shall be played on a league principle allowing for all teams to play each other both home and away. The league shall be known as the Cymoedd a Chaerdydd.

 The league shall be managed by the 4 WRU District Representatives from District B (East District) and District C (Mid District), who will arbitrate in any matter and whose decision shall be final. In matters where a casting vote is needed, the organising committee shall refer to the WRU Competitions Sub-Committee for a final and binding decision.

1. ELIGIBILTY TO PARTICIPATE

Entry to the league is by invitation to sides of clubs in membership of at least one of the East District Rugby Union, the Mid District Rugby Union or the Rhondda and East Glamorgan Rugby Union

1. No player may represent a club unless he is a registered member of that club with the WRU, or a permit has been granted for him to play by his parent
2. No player may play in any fixture unless they are at least 18 years of The only exception to this regulation is for academy registered players who are no younger than 17 years of age and have received dispensation from their respective academy manager and from their parent or guardian.

• All players must be named on the team sheet submitted by the club prior to the match.

2. LEAGUE PROGRAMME
   1. The league fixture programme will be compiled by the competition organisers with due regard to the fixed dates of such other rugby occasions as Internationals, WRU cups and local district cups.
   2. All league matches must be played.
   3. Games to commence as per current WRU Regulations governing the minimum number of players per side; teams starting league games with passive scrums will incur no penalty.
   4. Clubs must confirm the fixture with their opponents and the appointed referee by 7:30pm on Thursday prior to the allocated date.
   5. Postponed or abandoned matches must be rearranged within 5 days and the new date notified to the competition organisers and the WRU Regional Appointments Officer.
   6. Clubs are free to rearrange their scheduled fixtures after consultation with the opposing club, providing the new date is notified to the competition organisers and the WRU Regional Appointments Officer.
   7. Clubs who fail to fulfill their fixtures will not be immediately penalized and will be given the opportunity to rearrange the fixture. By the end of the season, if the game has still not been played, then the club which initially caused the postponement will be deducted 2 points and the non-offending club will be awarded 4 points. 
   8. Should the game be postponed by mutual arrangement, weather or ground conditions, and subsequently not rearranged then both teams will be awarded 2 points.
   9. Should a club withdraw from the league once the season has started then ALL their results will be expunged from the league table.

3. DURATION OF PLAY, REPLACEMENTS, DECLARATION OF WINNERS AND LEAGUE PLACINGS.
4. The duration of play shall be 40 minutes each way unless previously agreed by both teams prior to kick-off.
5. Teams may play with as many replacements and interchanges as they wish, to ensure that all available players are afforded match time.
6. If a team knows it cannot raise a front row they must notify the opposition at the earliest opportunity before the game; this will not be a reason to postpone a game as clubs will still be able to start with a full complement of players and still have replacements available to them.
7. If in the event of a team electing to have passive scrums during a game, they will still be allowed to have their replacements and continue with fifteen players.
8. Winners of games will be the team having scored the greater number of points at the end of each game.
9. In the case of a game being abandoned, provided that playing time has not been less than 30 min­utes, then the score at the time of abandonment will stand. The referee is the sole judge of the amount of time played.
10. League points will be awarded as 4 points for a win, 2 points for a draw and 0 points for a defeat. One bonus league point shall be awarded to a team scoring four or more tries in a match and one bonus league point shall be awarded to a team losing by seven points or fewer.
11. League placings will be decided based on league points gained in the season. In the event of teams gaining the same number of points, placings will be determined in the following order:
12. team having recorded the most wins
13. team having recorded the fewest losses

• team having scored the most tries

1. if teams are still equal, then the team with the highest ratio of points for divided by points against shall be declared the winner.
2. Games may be classed as a ‘double header’ provided that having been mutually agreed by the 2 teams, then the match referee, the organising committee and the WRU Regional Appointments Officer have all been advised.

4. APPOINTMENT OF REFEREES AND NOTIFICATION OF RESULTS
   1. Referees will be appointed by the WRU Regional Appointments Officer for all league games.
   2. Whenever possible, team sheets must be completed electronically using the WRU App. When this is not possible, then a paper teamsheet must be provided to the match referee and made available to the opposition prior to kick-off.
   3. Clubs will email the match result, along with the number of tries scored by each team to clearances@wru.wales within 36 hours of the end of the match.

5. PROTESTS AND DISPUTES
6. Complaints, protests or appeals arising out of either the com­petition or the Rules of the Competition thereof must be made in writing to the competition organisers and be accompanied by a fee of £100, which may or may not be returned, depending on whether the appeal is successful.
7. No complaint, protest or appeal relat­ing to matches played in the league will be entertained if received by the MORE THAN THREE DAYS after the match in question was played. Should information of a misdemeanor reach the organising committee after this time they will have the right to act upon it.
8. Any club reported for failing to comply with the rules of the competition shall, if found by the organising com­mittee to be in default, be penalised by the deduction of a maximum of FOUR league points.
9. Any club reported and found to have included an ineligible player in a league match shall have the league points, and points scored during that match expunged.
10. All decisions and directives issued by the organising committee relating to all aspects of these competitions will be binding and final.