Global Law Trials.
Law trials effective August 1 for 15s and, in the U.S., August 16 for 7s. USA memo (PDF): https://rsvsport.files.wordpress.com/2021/08/global-law-trials-2021.pdf

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USA Eligibility Guidelines for 2021-2022
https://assets.usarugby.org/docs/club/2021-22-Eligibility-Regulations.pdf

The Capital Rugby Union’s Annual General Meeting was held on Sunday, July 25, 2021, at 5 pm, via Zoom.

Reports received (PDFs):
2021 Capital Strategic Plan
Senior Club Council Report
Treasurer’s Report
MAC

Agenda:
Roll Call – Secretary
Welcome & President’s report – Matt
Board Reports
Referee organization updates – RSV, Potomac
Treasurer report & 2021-2022 budget proposal – David Chapman
Budget vote – membership
MAC Committee nominations & election – membership (current contacts can be viewed at https://macrugby.org/about/)
Bylaw revision & vote – Matt (Article II Section 2.01 “Members”)

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The current bylaw reads:
Following the adoption of these By-Laws, additional member clubs shall be elected to the Union by a majority of full members at a general meeting upon nomination by a member club and a second by another member club. By terms of the motion made and seconded for membership, clubs may be admitted for membership on a probationary basis for one (1) year. Clubs admitted on a probationary basis have all of the rights and obligations of non-probationary members; however, the “Executive Committee” (as hereinafter defined) may suspend any probationary club if the Executive Committee determines that (i) the probationary club is unable or unwilling to conform to the rules and regulations of the Union, (ii) the continued participation of the probationary club in Union affairs presents a danger to other member clubs, and (iii) the continued participation of the probationary club represents an unacceptable liability to the Union or threatens the integrity of the Union or the game of Rugby Union Football. Probationary clubs may be admitted to non-probationary membership status after one (1) year of probationary status upon a simple majority vote of the members upon a motion made and seconded by member clubs at an Annual General Meeting of the members.

Approved Bylaw proposal (new wording is in italics):
Following the adoption of these By-Laws, additional member clubs shall be elected to the Union by a majority of full members at a general meeting upon nomination by a member club and a second by another member club. By terms of the motion made and seconded for membership, clubs may be admitted for membership on a probationary basis for one (1) year. Clubs admitted on a probationary basis have all of the rights and obligations of non-probationary members; however, the “Executive Committee” (as hereinafter defined) may suspend any probationary club if the Executive Committee determines that (i) the probationary club is unable or unwilling to conform to the rules and regulations of the Union, (ii) the continued participation of the probationary club in Union affairs presents a danger to other member clubs, and (iii) the continued participation of the probationary club represents an unacceptable liability to the Union or threatens the integrity of the Union or the game of Rugby Union Football. Probationary clubs may be admitted to non-probationary membership status after one (1) year of probationary status upon a simple majority vote of the members upon a motion made and seconded by member clubs at an Annual General Meeting of the members. Clubs requesting membership during the Union’s operating year will be required to complete the Capital Rugby Union Club Participation Request form found at http://www.rugby.org or by contacting the Union Secretary. The Union Secretary will review the request for accuracy and ensure all required fields are completed. Once the Secretary accepts the request three elected officials, Capital Rugby Union Vice President, one from MAC leadership, and one from RSV leadership, will be appointed to review the application and approve/deny the club’s request to join prior to the next general meeting of the membership. Clubs requesting to join league competition must submit their request no later than 5-months prior to the start of 15s competition or 2-months prior to 7s competition. Clubs requesting to join to play non-league matches must submit their request no later than 2-months prior to the spring or summer season. Clubs forming for specific events/tournaments are still required to complete the request.

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Meeting notes from Matt Robinette (published on Facebook on 07/27/2021):

The members of the Capital Rugby Union held our Annual General Meeting on Sunday, July 25, 2021. At least 21 clubs attended the meeting which was enough to establish a quorum. The following information/summary was sourced from my notes of the meeting. Please review and provide any feedback/edits. I attempted to record the Zoom meeting but screwed it up somehow and cannot find the recording.

• Robinette welcomed the group
• Ames conducted a roll call. 19 clubs were present at the beginning of the meeting with at least two clubs joining before any votes were taken. 21 total clubs in attendance.
• Our referee partners provided updates to the Union about their efforts. A discussion took place surrounding the importance and responsibility of clubs to recruit new referees and reduce/eliminate referee abuse. THE LACK OF REFEREES IS AN IMMEDIATE CRISIS. Referees are assigned based on a first-come-first-serve basis – SUBMIT YOUR SCHEDULES IMMEDIATELY!
• The discipline Chair reported four red cards and two yellow cards have been issued/adjudicated from the spring/summer.
• High Performance reported that not much is happening right now.
• Secretary requested that clubs update their contact information on the spreadsheet sent via email. If you are a club contact and did not receive that request please contact Lacy Ames immediately.
• Simon Smith reported on USA Rugby restructure and the Senior Club Council. Full report can be found above.
• Treasurer reported on Union financials. Full report can be found above.
• The 2021-2022 budget, including the reduced Union fee of $20/registration, was unanimously approved by the members.
• The President reported on 2021-2022 Strategic Plan. The full plan can be found above.
• One change to the Union’s bylaws was unanimously approved by the members. The following statement was added to Section 2.01 Members: Clubs requesting membership during the Union’s operating year will be required to complete the Capital Rugby Union Club Participation Request form found at www.rugby.org or by contacting the Union Secretary. The Union Secretary will review the request for accuracy and ensure all required fields are completed. Once the Secretary accepts the request three elected officials, Capital Rugby Union Vice President, one from MAC leadership, and one from RSV & PRS leadership will be appointed to review the application and approve/deny the club’s request to join prior to the next general meeting of the membership. Clubs requesting to join league competition must submit their request no later than 5-months prior to the start of 15s competition or 2-months prior to 7s competition. Clubs requesting to join to play non-league matches must submit their request no later than 2-months prior to the spring or summer season. Clubs forming for specific events/tournaments are still required to complete the request.
• The meeting was adjourned at 7 pm

Thanks to all who attended! I look forward to a great year on and off the field. Please take care of each other, get the vaccine, and have fun playing the greatest sport on the planet!

Gratefully,
Matthew Robinette
President
Capital Rugby Union

Sunday, July 25, 2021 at 5 PM EDT via Zoom; the link will be posted when announced. Agenda is TBD.

The Mid Atlantic 7s series will host qualifiers on the following dates.

7/10 NOVA – Manassas, VA
7/17 East Coast 7s – Downingtown, PA
7/24 Rites of Summer – Columbia, M

Host clubs should be announcing details of their events.

Please see https://macrugby.org/2021/06/11/mac-7s-events/ for more info on the National 7s process.

From Capital President Matt Robinette:

USA Rugby updated their Return to Play document on Friday, August 28, 2020. The Union carefully reviewed the updated Return to Play information and evaluated the new policy against our jurisdictions’ regulations and will sanction non-contact intra-squad practice. There are some very important mitigating strategies that each club must implement to return to the pitch. Each club president, coach, and captain are responsible for the following actions prior to returning to non-contact intra-squad practice:

• Review local guidelines – local guidelines take precedent over any Union (Capital and/or USA) directives/approvals
• Review USA Rugby R2P document and implement requirements outlined. The Capital is sanctioning Stage 3 as outlined in this document – https://assets.usarugby.org/docs/medical/USAR-R2P.pdf?v=1598791077718
• Register with USA Rugby – This is going to be tricky and frustrating for individuals and clubs because SportLomo is a new platform and club rugby fee structures were just announced. Players and coaches must be registered with USA Rugby to participate in non-contact intra-team practice. Follow this link to register with USA Rugby: https://usarugby.sportlomo.com/

I am excited that we have found our way back to the pitch (non-contact intra-squad practice) however, we are still experiencing a pandemic! We, administrators, coaches, and players, must remain vigilant as we slowly return to non-contact intra-squad practice. Your actions and decisions directly impact the health of our friends and families and could result in the death of a loved one. Implementing local guidelines is critical to minimizing the spread of infectious diseases.
The Union committed to sanctioning play as soon as possible and we are delivering that commitment. You must commit to keeping your teammates and their families safe by implementing mitigation strategies outlined by your local health departments and governments.

Thank you for your patience during these unprecedented times.

Questions: Matthew Robinette – matthewrobinette55@gmail.com

Please see https://macrugby.org/2020/09/16/further-update-on-fall-2020/ for the MAC statement about Fall 2020.

Meeting was held via Zoom on 08/09/2020 at 3:00 PM. Meeting concluded at approx. 6:07 PM. The Zoom recording is at https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/tOYpcKHK2F1Ladb99k-DWa46J9jveaa8gHMaqKAPyx7V3Qgjw3NVtonkITuhxgcf and will be deleted on 9/9/2020; please note that this starts 30 minutes into the meeting.

Reports:

Welcome

Roll Call – 31 clubs in attendance at roll call with several joining later. Quorum was reached.

Officer Reports: See above.

USA Rugby structure, bankruptcy, and Club Council. Ad hoc discussion on the state of USAR.

MAC Elections. Positions elected and filled; see https://macrugby.org/about/

Other or new business – None.

We are adding items to the new Registration tab (above in the main men as we get them.

Important Return-to-Play information from the Union:

Due to guidance from the governments where our members, reside the Capital Rugby Union will not sanction any rugby activity. North Carolina (Raleigh), Virginia, D.C., and Maryland health departments have each announced regulations that restrict our ability to play rugby. Pennsylvania has relaxed restrictions but the nature of our sport and the travel required across state lines requires that the Union does not sanction play in Pennsylvania (Pittsburgh).

Union leadership is eager to get back to the pitch but we are committed to following health department directives. While we are eager to get on the pitch we want to be intentional and as safe as possible.

Regardless of your local county/municipality’s phase of reopening, the Union does not sanction any rugby activity.

There is no definite date when we can return to rugby activities. Union leadership will continue to monitor health department regulations and suggestions. I will provide updates and communicate information as it becomes available/changes.

To be clear: Rugby activities are not sanctioned by the Capital Rugby Union. CIPP insurance coverage does not cover an individual, club, or referee for unsanctioned rugby activity.

On behalf of the board of the Capital Rugby Union, thank you! Thank you for your continued commitment to this wonderful sport and our rugby community.

Sincerely,

Capital Rugby Union
Unanimous Board

USAR will be posting a statement saying that the 2020 National 7s Championship will be cancelled. When that posting is released, we will add that to our Facebook and MAC website postings.

The MAC 7s Committee is under discussion about a possible event or events. It is still too soon to see what clubs across the region (VA, DC, MD, PA) may be able to do. There may be other non-MAC events, but those are under the purview of the GUs or other groups.

However, USAR added (in their draft) the following: “Moving forward, as the sevens rugby season gets underway, teams and clubs are permitted to engage in local sevens activities in line with permission of local health officials and guided by the USA Rugby Return To Play Guidelines. While potential versions of play might be acceptable through the summer, no sanctioned national championship will occur.”

The key here is “…teams and clubs are permitted to engage in local sevens activities in line with permission of local health officials and guided by the USA Rugby Return to Play Guidelines.” Therefore, you must comply with both local guidelines and the specifics of USAR’s Return to Play. There are a lot of things to do in the latter, so read it.

Additionally, keep in mind that local health officials will follow their governor’s orders and others. Additionally, local parks and recs folks may opt for tighter restrictions and reservations may not be possible.

As an example: Virginia will be mostly moving to Phase 2 on Friday (with the notable exception of Richmond and Northern Virginia who will remain in Phase 1 for a bit longer). This will now allow gatherings of up to 50. BUT… that does not clear you from following USAR’s Return to Play Guidelines (as well as getting field permits).

Therefore, let’s be clear: As mentioned at some point in the last month, we are NOT going to tell you not to practice or play. However, you must comply with the above (as stated by USAR) AND can show proof of compliance (forms, etc.), you don’t have USAR liability coverage. No coverage. Zero.

The bottom line: if you choose to go practice and play, assign responsible people in your club to track all of the needed items (like player verifications).