Eastern Counties Rugby Union

Updates for the new season which will be effective from 1/9/2017. We have kept changes to a minimum but have tried to recognise concerns that have been raised with us at the League Consultation Meetings.

One concern which was raised at every meeting was that of teams being ‘loaded’ with a significant number of players from higher level teams within a club when that higher team has no match or has their match cancelled. This is covered in Rule 2c) and penalties were applied on occasion last season. Clubs are reminded that ‘loading’ is against the spirit of the Leagues and League Secretaries WILL investigate if they receive a complaint or if a result appears abnormal and they will apply penalties in proven cases.

Please do communicate with your League Secretary and opposition. The application of Regulations is progressive and at EC2 level is intended to prepare clubs to enter the fully regulated London Leagues. At the lowest level of our leagues, we encourage fully competitive rugby but are keen to ensure rugby is played and, as long as communication is good, we encourage teams to agree ways to fulfil fixtures rather than call them off.

We employ Snowdons results service and clubs have told us that they value the fact that up to date results and tables are available shortly after games finish. This does of course rely on clubs promptly calling in their results. For season 2017/18, we are introducing the back-up system which applies in the higher leagues. If the home club has not called in the result by around 17:30, the back-up contact will be telephoned for the information. As this is extra administration and will add to our costs, a charge of £20 will be levied on the defaulting club so please ensure that the result is called in promptly.

As last year, we will be holding a series of consultative meetings at the end of the season to listen to your comments and try to provide the best service possible to clubs. Please reserve 16-21 April 2018 in your diaries as the meetings are provisionally scheduled for that week.

I must mention the difficulties we, as a Committee, face every year when trying to resolve issues of promotion and relegation within the Greene King EC Leagues. I appreciate how frustrating it is for those wanting to know which League their club will play in the following season but we are bound by RFU regulations and events in Leagues at a considerably higher level can and do impact on us. We do try to adhere to the principles of our Regulation 3 (Promotion and Relegation) but we cannot confirm promotion or relegation until all issues in the leagues above ours are resolved. We will deal with these questions as soon as we can but please do bear with us as we wrestle with the leagues at the end of the season.

In the meantime, if you have any questions, please talk to your League Secretary or, in his absence, do contact me.

Good luck for the new season,

John