College Men,
Attached is the Potomac Rugby Conference (PRC) regular season schedule. The PRU bylaws and competition guidelines still apply though we're in the process of updating our conference bylaws and competition guidelines. The changes are the conference divisions, playoff qualification, medical trainer requirement, and club dues. We will also enforce the forfeits regulations for the fall season as well.
- Conference Divisions: The PRC is divided into 2 divisions, which are Division 2 and NSCRO. The seven teams in Division 2 are George Mason, George Washington, Georgetown, Johns Hopkins, Salisbury, Towson, UMBC. The D2 champion will automatically qualify for the national playoffs. The six teams competing in NSCRO are American, Catholic, Frostburg, Loyola, Mt. St. Marys, St. Marys. Maryland C and Navy C will also compete against the NSCRO teams but will not compete in the playoffs.
- Scoring System: The PRC will use the Super 14 point system already in place. The standings table will be updated weekly to determine the rankings. The change in the tie-breaker is head to head competition instead of point differential.
- Playoffs: The NSCRO division playoffs will consist of the top four teams in the regular season to be held on the weekend of November 9-10. The winner will advance to the regional competition against the winner of the Cardinals conference in March 2014. Due to the D2 National Championship moving to the fall season, the Division 2 playoffs will consist of the top four teams in the regular season. We will not have the quarterfinal round in order to give the winner an extra week to prepare. We are looking for venues to host the NSCRO or the Division 2 Final 4.
- Eligibility: Teams must follow the USA Rugby Eligibilty guidelines. Players must be CIPP registered prior to their first match. Any teams or players not CIPP will forfeit their match. The coaches must also meet CIPP and course requirements to be fully compliant. Reference http://usarugby.org/college-eligibility
- Forfeits: Teams must notify their opponent if they do not have at least 15 players available. Not showing up to a game will be an automatic forfeit and the team will be barred from the playoffs. Disciplinary and/or administrative penalties will apply to the forfeiting team, which may include compensation due to the non-forfeiting team. Forfeits will be recorded as 20-0 win by the non-offending team, and recorded as 4 tries scored and 1 bonus point, per the Super 14 point system.
- Promotion and Relegation: A challenge match is necessary for promotion and relegation. The NSCRO team may challenge the lowest ranked team from Division 2. There may be an exception to the relegation when the Division 2 team does not meet the NSCRO eligibility.
- Medical Trainer: The host team must have a medical trainer present for all of your home games.
- Club Dues: The proposed amount for club dues is $300 for each club, which is more than half the PRU charged in the past. The PRU and VRU will combine in August 2013 to form the new Capital Geographical Union, and the PRU will determine what to do with the excess funds by the end of the summer. It was suggested the PRU may send the excess funds back to the clubs.
- Communication:
- Host teams are responsible for submitting their referee requests to the Potomac Referees Society.
JP Perez
Commissioner
