Club Secretary's Guide to SA Rugby Player Registration U20 and Senior 2026

Under the SARU Player Status, Player Contracts and Player Movement Regulations (4.4-4.7), the current province's CEO may refuse a clearance only if:

• the player is a contract player who has not met their contract obligations (for example, must play for the club or province until after the intended move date); or
• the player is serving a disciplinary suspension of more than 5 weeks.

The province may not refuse a clearance because of a suspension of 5 weeks or less, or for any other reason. On the current clearance form, the current province declares that the player is not suspended for more than five weeks (including any doping offence), and the new province agrees that any remaining suspension applies to matches under its jurisdiction.

Disputes about a clearance go to the SARU CEO, who opens an enquiry or has it decided under the Disciplinary and Judicial Matters Regulations, preferably within 3 days.

No player may take part in an SA Rugby competition while serving a suspension imposed by World Rugby, SARU, a province, club or other competent body.

From the SARU Player Status, Player Contracts and Player Movement Regulations:

• A player may receive a material benefit (money, gifts or other benefits for playing) from a province or club. Genuine reimbursement of reasonable travel, accommodation and subsistence costs is not a material benefit. A province may regulate what its clubs pay players.
• A player receiving a material benefit from a club should have a written contract with that club.
• No club or province may sign a written agreement with a player under 18.
• A player contracted to a province must be registered with a club in the province they play for.
• Transfer fees for a contract player are agreed between the clubs or provinces. Unless they agree otherwise, the player may not be registered with, or take part in matches or practices for, the new province until the agreed fee has been paid in full.
• The current province may refuse a clearance if a contract player has not met their contract obligations, for example a duty to play for the club or province until after the intended transfer date.

Moves between SA Rugby and another national union use SA Rugby's International Player Clearance form (October 2026), issued under World Rugby Regulation 4 (Player Status, Player Contracts and Player Movement).

Leaving South Africa:

1. The player completes Section A: personal details, current province, the union they are eligible to play internationals for, the highest level played in South Africa, the new union and club, contract end date, release and return dates, and (for contract players) rest periods in the previous 12 months.
2. The clearance is then endorsed in turn by the current province, SA Rugby, the union the player is eligible to play international rugby for, and the new union.

SA Rugby declares that the player is not suspended for more than five weeks (including any doping offence), with any current suspension applying in the new union, and that a contract player has no outstanding contract obligations. If the player signs a contract with the new club or union, SA Rugby may claim a development fee.

Joining from overseas: the player's current union issues the clearance under the same World Rugby Regulation 4 process, and the player must be cleared before being registered here. Foreign players must also comply with South African immigration law.

Not club to club. The SARU Player Status, Player Contracts and Player Movement Regulations say players may not be loaned between clubs in different provinces (7.5). Loans are between provinces:

• The borrowing province asks the player's current province in writing, with the player's written approval, and the terms go into the standard Player Loan Agreement (Schedule IV). The current province must reply in writing within 14 days.
• A loan player stays registered with their club in the current province and does not register with a club in the borrowing province.
• The player may only play in the competitions named in the loan agreement.
• A player who was in any provincial 22-player squad that season may not be loaned to a club in another province unless both provinces agree in writing.
• Provinces must keep a record of all loan players and give copies to SARU on demand.

In SA Rugby provincial competitions, a loan player may not be in the borrowing province's match-day squad without a written loan agreement between the two provinces and the player.

By default, no. SARU's Regulations for Under-Aged Rugby: Adult Rugby say players younger than 18 may not play U20 or senior rugby in any position. Age is counted at 1 January of the year, so a player who turns 18 during the year counts as 17 for that whole year.

Club U20 waiver (Addendum 3, 2021): a player who turns 18 during the year may play club or community U20 rugby only, in a non-front-row position, if before any squad training the club obtains, on SA Rugby's standard templates:

1. the player's voluntary assumption of risk and indemnity;
2. parental or guardian consent and indemnity (if under 18 when applying);
3. a sports medical practitioner's rugby-specific assessment and clearance letter;
4. confirmation from an SA Rugby-accredited high performance testing centre that the player meets the reference data for the position;
5. confirmation from a World Rugby Level 2 (or equivalent provincial) coach that the player is at no more risk than eligible players;
6. sign-off by the provincial union's General Manager: Amateur Rugby (or equivalent).

The documents must be on record at the provincial union, and the player must give a copy of the sign-off to the referee before every match. Players who turn 17 or younger during the year cannot get a waiver.

Senior and elite U20 rugby: only players identified by the province or national structures as elite can apply for a separate waiver to play elite U20 or senior rugby, so an ordinary under-18 club player cannot play senior club rugby.

The club must keep documentary proof of players' ages. Costs are for the player, club or union, not SARU.

Under the SARU Regulations for Under-Aged Rugby: Adult Rugby, players younger than 19 may not play front row in elite U20 or senior rugby at any level. In South Africa "senior rugby" means anything above U20 (U21 and up). Age is counted at 1 January of the year in question.

• A front-rower who is 18 (but not yet 19) may play front row at club U20 level.
• To play front row in elite U20 or senior rugby they must be identified by the union as an elite player and go through the full waiver process: player's assumption of risk and indemnity, parental consent, the headmaster's permission if still at school, a sports physician's rugby-specific medical report, an SA Rugby-accredited high performance testing centre's confirmation, the provincial team doctor's confirmation, and a Level 2 (or equivalent provincial) coach's confirmation of front-row skills. The documents must be on file at the province, with a copy to SARU's Medical Manager, before any training.
• The club U20 waiver for 17-year-olds is not available for front-row positions.

Breaching the age rules carries a minimum 24-month suspension for the coach and responsible people; failing to keep the waiver records carries a R5 000 fine.

Under the SARU regulations for the BokSmart Rugby Safety Programme (which every province, club, rugby body and school must adopt, and may only make stricter):

• Anyone who coaches or assists in coaching a team, in any capacity, must be BokSmart certified.
• Every referee and assistant referee must be BokSmart certified. Ordinary touch judges or linesmen who are not qualified referees are exempt.
• Certification is valid for 2 years. It is renewed only by completing the latest BokSmart course, with a 2-month grace period after the expiry date on the licence card.

The club must make sure every affiliated coach, assistant coach, referee and assistant referee is certified, keep a proper record for audit by the province or SARU, and tell all its members about these rules.

Under the SARU BokSmart regulations, the host club may not host a match unless the referee, assistant referees and both teams' coaches and assistant coaches are BokSmart certified.

• Coaches must show proof of certification to the referee at least 15 minutes before kick-off. Without it the referee must not start the match, and it is abandoned.
• If a coach says they are certified but cannot produce proof, the match may go ahead, but that coach may not be on or next to the playing area, and must produce the licence to the host club's match manager or secretary on the first working day after the match.
• If the referee or an assistant referee is not certified or cannot prove it, the match is abandoned for safety reasons unless a certified replacement can step in.
• Apart from players and qualified medical staff, no one may enter the playing area without showing BokSmart certification to the referee or assistant referees.

This does not apply to ordinary touch judges or linesmen who are not qualified referees and only monitor the touchline.

Under the SARU regulations for the BokSmart Rugby Safety Programme, for every competition, tournament or league match on the approved fixture list:

• the match manager or secretary of the host club must, within 72 hours of the match, draft a signed and dated report showing the BokSmart status of the coaches and assistant coaches of both teams and of everyone (other than players and qualified medical staff) who entered the playing area, with full names, contact numbers and BokSmart certification codes. Keep it on file for audit by the province or SARU;
• the referee must, within 72 hours, send the province or SARU a referee's report with the BokSmart codes of the referee and assistant referees.

The club must also keep records showing that every affiliated referee, assistant referee, coach and assistant coach is certified.

Minimum penalties (on top of the disciplinary regulations):