Competitions Compliance Reminders

A number of important compliance reminders regarding USA Rugby policies and procedures as we gear up for each season: 

Baseline Compliance as a club

In order to practice and/or compete in any rugby-related competition, the following registration conditions must be met by a club in order to make that club ‘compliant’: 

1. The club registration fee must be paid in Rugby Xplorer for the current membership year. This fee includes both the USA Rugby registration fee and/or other club and union fees.
2. There must be at least 8+ players registered to the club in Rugby Xplorer for the current membership year, regardless of whether the club/team is playing 15s or 7s.
3. There must be at least one accredited coach registered to the club in Rugby Xplorer for the current membership year. 
4. All clubs and individuals must follow all USA Rugby Eligibility Regulations, as provided at https://usaclub.rugby/resources/, as well as all Local Governing Union regulations and procedures. Club Admins may find their compliance in their club’s RX dashboard (https://admin.rugbyxplorer.com.au/).

RX Rosters and Submission

• Timely submission of rosters and score reports fall under the rules and regulations of the Capital Rugby Union. Submission of these rosters and reports is required for clubs to remain compliant.
• Teams must enter scores, rosters, and match details into RX no later than 48 hours after the end of a match. If the information is not provided, the offending side is subject to a possible Administrative Forfeit.
• Players must have their name public on RX Rosters. Players may not have “Name Withheld” selected or they will not get playing credit.

Transgender Athletes

• The Capital Rugby Union first and foremost believes all athletes should be able to play rugby. The Transgender Athlete Policy adopted by USA Rugby has a limited scope and black and white categorization of gender identity and medical transitioning that not all athletes may identify with or relate to. While the existing policy does not reflect the views of Capital, we – as a governing body – must ensure compliance with this policy in order for the liability insurance issued through USA Rugby to be valid. 
• Should any athlete have any questions regarding their individual status or need assistance understanding the current Transgender Policy please contact Capital President, president@rugby.org or Capital DEI Chair dei@rugby.org.

Senior Club Waiver

• USA Rugby Senior Club Waiver Request Form (https://usaclub.rugby/resources/) is needed in instances where:
  • In-Season Transfer due to Geographic Relocation for Non-rugby Reasons.
  • Missed Match Participation Requirement due to Medical/Personal Hardship.
  • Missed Match/Tournament Participation Requirement due to High-Level Rugby Commitments.
  • In-Season Transfer due to Geographic Relocation for Professional Rugby Reasons.
  • In-Season Transfer for Rugby-Related Reasons (Fifteens Only).
  • Professional Rugby Player Status (Sevens and Fifteens).
  • 60-Month Residency Exemption (Fifteens Only).
  • Name Withheld Exemption.

Anti-Doping Policy

• World Rugby and USA Rugby both hold a strong anti-doping policy. The World Anti- Doping Association, holds the current “prohibited list” for substances that will be considered doping. 
• A therapeutic use exemption (TUE) application may be submitted with supporting documentation to allow an athlete to compete while using one of the substances that would otherwise be considered doping. 

Why do we care about being compliant:

• Registering with USA Rugby via Rugby Xplorer (RX) provides accident and liability insurance coverage in settings where all other players, coaches, referees, and other affiliated members are also registered through RX.