CUMBRIA RFU LTD – DISCIPLINE PANEL

Panel Secretary: D.D.Morton, 14 Naworth Drive, Carlisle, CA3 0DD

01228 515486 (H & Fax)  0771 992 7758 (M) Mortwas82@aol.com

 September 2005

To:

 Club secretaries

Cumbria & Furness Referee Societies

President, Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer – Cumbria RFU

Members – Discipline Panel

NEW DISCIPLINE PROCEDURES

Your attention is drawn to revisions in disciplinary procedures that have been introduced by the RFU with effect from 1^st September 2005, following a directive from the IRB.  In addition Cumbria RFU has introduced some administrative changes.  Brief details are as follows.

The RFU have adopted new procedures that have been brought about following a decision by the IRB.  The aim is to try and standardise, as far as possible, procedures and sanctions across the game as a whole.  The expectation is that penalties promulgated will fall within given guidelines across the game as a whole!

Several new offences have been introduced, penalties have been increased but with strict guidelines to be followed as to how a sanction is determined.  There are three entry points on the sanction scale – lower end, middle range and upper end ranges.  Clearly, an entry point will depend on the severity of an offence, previous history of the person concerned together with any aggravating and mitigating features.  All of these, and other factors, will be taken into account when deciding how an offence should be punished.

Club secretaries will by now have received the 2005 / 2006 RFU Handbook from the RFU and Disciplinary Regulations together with the appropriate Appendices can be found in that publication. An excellent resume of the regulations is re-produced on page 3 of the Touchline magazine and makes for easier reading than the complete regulations.

In Cumbria the north and south panels have been amalgamated and there will now be only one panel with Mike Neal from Kirkby Lonsdale as the chairman.

With effect from 1^st September 2006, everyone sitting on a discipline panel will have to be approved and accredited by the RFU.  After that date, only those so qualified will be entitled to sit on a panel.  To date we have six approved and accredited members, with others nominated to attend an accreditation course in June 2006.  Some members have yet to decide what to do, whilst some have either resigned or indicated an intention to do so.  The status of Cumbria panel members is:

APPROVED & ACCREDITED BY RFU

Mike Neal (chairman) – Kirkby Lonsdale

David Morton (secretary) – Carlisle

Nigel Rimmer – Windermere

Trevor Braithwaite – Upper Eden

Jim Thompson – Cumbria Referees Society

David Wilson – Aspatria

PENDING APPROVAL / ACCREDITATION – JUNE 2006

Richard Knowles – Furness Referees Society

Alan Lynch – Wigton

OTHERS

Willie Mounsey – Penrith

Norman Laycock – Carlisle

Richard Bawden – Millom

John Prickett – Ambleside

Cumbria panel meetings will be held at the PDC at Penrith Rugby Club, generally on either the first or second Wednesday of each month.

There are increasing administrative burdens on administrators at all of our clubs.  However, it would be very much appreciated if secretaries could ensure that when players are sent off, the panel secretary is notified within 72 hours of the occurrence – this is required by the RFU Disciplinary Regulations.  Failure to do so will attract an administrative fee of £25 in addition to any other fees and costs that may be imposed at any subsequent hearing.  When reporting a sending off you will need to be able to supply the following information:

• Full name of player sent off
• His / her full postal address
• Contact numbers
• Date of birth
• RFU Player Registration Number

In recent years a number of clubs have consistently failed to report send offs.  This has cost your club money – for the sake of a short ‘phone call or an e-mail or fax message.  The following are contact details for send offs:

• 01228 515486 (also fax)
• 0771 992 7758
• 0778 235 0842 (Saturdays only)
• Mortwas82@aol.com

Part of the criteria used when assessing what sanction to impose is – was there a plea of guilty at an early stage?  Delaying tactics have been employed in the past in an apparent endeavour to put off the inevitable!    Last minute requests for adjournments or failing to turn up at hearings without warning has also been prevalent. 

Cumbria RFU Ltd has recently approved the following scale of administrative fees and costs with effect from 1^st September and, save for exceptional circumstances, the tariff will be fixed for five years.  It will be noted that some of the administrative fees have been increased substantially – and this was done on purpose to encourage compliance with the system.  If cooperation in implementing the system is maintained then there is every likelihood that administrative fees chargeable will be kept to a minimum.

Administrative Fees

1. OFFENCE ADMITTED IN WRITING BY POSTAL PLEA                           £25
2. ADMITTED BUT PERSONAL HEARING REQUESTED / ORDERED         £40
3. NOT GUILTY PLEA REQUIRING A HEARING                                         £50
4. LESS THAN 48 HRS GIVEN OF INTENDED NON-APPEARANCE

OR REQUEST FOR AN ADJOURNMENT                                                £50

      5.   FAILURE TO ATTEND A HEARING WHEN SO REQUIRED                     £100

      6.   ADJOURNED HEARING NECESSARY BECAUSE OF (4) OR (5)  £50

7.       ADDITIONAL ADJOURNED HEARINGS ARISING OUT OF (4), (5)

OR (6)                            @EACH ADDITIONAL HEARING                      £50

Costs

The following standard costs will be applied in all cases except where there has been a guilty plea by post.

•  Clubs from Level 5 and below                                     £75
• Clubs above level 5                                                      £150

Value Added Tax

Value added tax at the appropriate rate would be added to all the above fees and costs.

Posted: December 7th 2005