How much will my child play in a match?

The Half Game Rule (RFU Regulation 15.13) is mandatory: every player selected in a match-day squad must play at least half of the available playing time. It applies to all contact and non-contact age grade matches, including festivals and tournaments.

• The available playing time is the scheduled match time, not counting stoppages or time after the half has expired. For example, if the halves add up to 30 minutes, every player must get at least 15.
• At a festival, the minutes of all your team's matches that day are added together, and each child must play at least half of the total.
• Time off the pitch only counts towards a player's half if they were off with a temporary injury (up to 10 minutes) or a yellow card.
• The rule doesn't apply if a player is permanently removed because of injury, risk of injury, a red card or the referee's request, or the match is abandoned or shortened.

Rolling substitutions are used at every age from Under 7 to Under 12: players can come off and go back on at any time when the ball is dead, with the referee's permission.

There are also daily limits on how much rugby a child can play:

An extra 15 minutes a day is allowed for the RFU's Activate injury-prevention warm-up. No player may play more than 35 matches in a season.