U14 Girls quick guide
Ulster Branch rules apply (competition)
- Match length: two 25-minute halves plus time lost. No extra time.
- League points: 3 for a win, 2 for a draw, 1 for a loss. A team that fails to fulfil a fixture loses 1 point and the opponents get 3.
- Squad and format: up to 23 players named, with rolling substitutes. U14 is 13 or 15-a-side. If both teams can field 15, they must play 15-a-side with at least 2 substitutes each.
- Minimum numbers: 10-a-side for a competitive fixture. Below that, the game can be played as a friendly. The team with enough players gets 3 points and the short team gets 1 (2 each if both are short). If numbers fall below 7 v 7 during a game, it continues as a friendly.
- Equal numbers: both teams play with the same number on the pitch and in the scrum. If a player is injured and there is no substitute, the other team takes a player off.
- Big margins: if the gap reaches 40 points at any time, the referee ends the match and the leading team wins. The losing team does not lose a point and the remaining time can be played out as an evenly matched friendly.
- Yellow card: 5-minute sin bin at U14 when a Branch referee is in charge (the IRFU table says N/A for U14).
- Scrums: uncontested, with the strike allowed by the receiving team only. Both teams are encouraged to contest if both have suitably trained front rows. Both teams must have the same number in the scrum (minimum 5, maximum 8).
- Lineouts: no lifting if a team can't lift on its own ball, but the opposition can contest. If a team is capable, it may lift on its own ball when the opposition is not competing.
- Age: born between 1 July 2012 and 30 June 2014 inclusive. The IRFU table lists U14 as born 2013 and 2014, so a girl born in the second half of 2012 is U14 under Ulster rules. Playing up needs approval under the Girls’ Youth Playing-Up Protocols.
- Rest gap: a player can't play at two age levels within 48 hours, or in more than two games at the same level within 48 hours (and no more than one half in one of them). The clock starts when she first takes the field, and school and representative games count.
- Team sheets: complete the E-Teamsheet on Rugby Connect and have a printed copy for the opposition and the referee before kick-off. Playing someone not on the sheet means forfeiting the fixture. A sheet not returned by 5pm the day after is a 1-point deduction (one warning first).
- Reporting: the home club submits the result via the Ulster Rugby link by 12 noon on the Monday after the match. The referee reports cards and serious injuries within 24 hours.
- Fixtures: the date shown is the deadline (Sunday 1pm kick-off). Clubs can agree an earlier date, and all changes and postponements must be emailed to both fixtures@ulsterrugby.com and girlsyouth@ulsterrugby.com. A postponed league game must be rearranged within 7 days.
- Home club duties: appoint the referee. Each team provides a touch judge who is not a substitute. Each team must also host one non-traditional kick-off time (such as a midweek or Friday evening) at one home fixture.
IRFU girls rules apply (how the game is played)
- Ball: size 4.
- Maximum time: 50 minutes per match, injury time permitted (matches the Ulster 2 x 25 minutes).
- Pitch and positions: a full pitch out to the 5m lines for 13-a-side (6 forwards, 7 backs). If a team can't field 13, drop to 10-a-side with 5 v 5 scrums and lineouts.
- 13-a-side scrums: 6 players, uncontested, and players must stay bound.
- Lineouts: 6 players including the thrower, and all forwards must be involved.
- Tackling and handling: dangerous tackles (high, swinging or dump) are penalised immediately and the player warned. No hand-off to the face, and players should carry the ball in two hands.
- Rucks and mauls: the 5-second “use it or lose it” rule applies, and squeeze ball is not allowed.
- Restart and goals: the match starts with a drop kick on halfway. Conversions are taken between the 15m lines (where the 15m and 22m lines meet for tries out wide).
- Red card: the player is replaced.
Where Ulster and IRFU differ
- Team size: IRFU says up to 13-a-side, while Ulster allows 13 or 15 and requires 15 if both teams can field it.
- Yellow card: IRFU says N/A at U14, while Ulster applies a 5-minute sin bin.
- Scrums: IRFU says 6 players, while Ulster allows 5 to 8 (equal on both sides) and encourages contesting if both teams are capable.
- Lineouts: IRFU says no lifting, while Ulster allows lifting on a team's own ball if it is capable and the opposition isn't competing.
- Conversions: IRFU says they must be taken between the 15m lines, while Ulster says they may be brought in to the 15m line.
- Age band: IRFU says born 2013 and 2014, while Ulster says 1 July 2012 to 30 June 2014.
Summary only. The full documents above are the official rules. For league and cup matches the Ulster regulations take priority.