Referee's Guide to RFL Community Rugby League Under 6-Open age 2026

Under the RFL Operational Rules 2026, matches are played in two equal halves with at least a 5-minute interval between them:

The same lengths apply to girls' and women's age groups, and to education matches by school year (Year 7: 40, Years 8 and 9: 50, Years 10 and 11: 60, colleges: 70). Girls' Under 12s modified rules use halves of up to 20 minutes.

Substitutions are unlimited at every community age group from Under 12 to open age.

Armpit. In the community game, the legal limit for tackle contact is armpit height, so any contact above the armpit is penalised. The RFL's 2026 rules table lists armpit tackle height for every community age group from Under 12 to open age, for both men and women, and for education matches.

The RFL lowered the limit from shoulder height to armpit height for all community levels from 2 March 2024, following law trials in the Under 18 Academy competition that significantly reduced head contact.

In Primary Rugby League (Under 6 to Under 11), the Safe Play Code also treats contact above the armpits on an upright ball carrier as an infringement. The game is stopped and the offence explained to the players, rather than a penalty being awarded.

High or dangerous contact can also be misconduct under Section 15 of the Laws. Contact with the head or neck in a tackle, whether intentional, reckless or careless, is misconduct, and you can caution, sin bin or dismiss the player for it.

Under Section 15 of the 2026 International Laws of the Game, a player is guilty of misconduct if they:

• trip, kick or strike another player
• make contact with an opponent's head or neck, intentionally, recklessly or carelessly, when making or attempting a tackle
• drop knees first onto an opponent on the ground
• use a dangerous throw in a tackle
• deliberately and continually break the Laws
• use offensive or obscene language
• dispute a decision of the referee or a touch judge
• come back onto the field without permission after temporarily leaving the game
• behave in any way against the true spirit of the game
• deliberately obstruct an opponent who doesn't have the ball
• shoulder charge an opponent
• apply unnecessary pressure or twists on a player in possession, including grapples, crushers or "chicken wing" holds
• forcefully spear at the legs of a player in possession, exposing them to unnecessary risk of injury

A dangerous throw is any tackle or contact that lifts a player so that their head or neck is likely to hit the ground first, unless it couldn't have been avoided with reasonable care.

Third tackler: when two or more defenders hold a ball carrier upright, any other defender must make first contact above the knees.

Deliberately delaying a restart from the goal line, 20-metre line or halfway line also counts as misconduct.

Under Section 16 of the International Laws of the Game, when a player commits misconduct the referee may, at their discretion:

• caution the player
• temporarily suspend the player (the sin bin; the RFL sets the length by age in the community game)
• dismiss the player

Cautions: you can caution a whole team, in which case every player counts as individually cautioned. When you give a final caution, record the offence and the time, and quote them if the player is later dismissed. When giving a final caution to a player who keeps breaking the Laws, tell the captain so they can move the player to another position if they wish. You can't order a player to change position.

Temporary suspension is not meant as a lenient alternative when the misconduct deserves a dismissal.

Dismissed players take no further part in the match, and must not take up a position near the playing area where they are likely to provoke further trouble.

Every dismissal must then be reported to the Competition Officer within 72 hours.

The International Laws allow a 10-minute temporary suspension, but in 2026 the RFL varies sin bin lengths for the community game by age:

A suspended player comes back on only when you allow it. Use the timekeeper's timing if there is one; otherwise you decide when the suspension ends.

There are no sin bins in Primary Rugby League (Under 6 to Under 11).

Under the RFL Operational Rules 2026 (community game):

• Dismissal reports: the referee must complete the dismissal reports, and reports of any incidents on match day (on or off the pitch), and send them to the relevant Competition Officer by the method the RFL directs, no later than 72 hours after the match.
• Other incident reports: each match official must also send the Competition Officer, within 72 hours, a full report of any incident before, during or after the match, including:
  • a breach of the Operational Rules
  • crowd misbehaviour
  • misbehaviour by club officials
  • anything else that may bring the game into disrepute or harm its interests
• Concussion: record any suspected concussion on your match report, and upload HeadCam footage if you have it.

If a report reaches the Competition Officer after the deadline, the matter can still be dealt with. The Competition Officer collates all on-field dismissals reported by referees and touch judges, and can charge a player or refer the case to a disciplinary panel.

After the match, the home team enters the score online, and both clubs complete the team sheet online.

Club citings: a club can bring alleged violent on-field misconduct to the Competition Officer, in writing, by 12pm on the Wednesday after the incident. A citing should include:

• a brief description of the incident
• the players involved
• the precise time of the incident
• unedited footage and any other relevant information, including statements

Non-violent acts, and acts that happen unintentionally or in the normal passage of play, can't be cited. The Competition Officer decides whether an incident counts as violent.

How charges work: the Competition Officer reviews dismissal reports and citings and can charge a player with On Field Misconduct by issuing a Penalty Notice. These are issued on the Thursday after the round, or on the Monday after the last round of the regular season, play-offs, and cup matches played on consecutive weekends.

The sanction depends on the player's record over the previous 12 months:

A player can challenge a Penalty Notice by the deadline given in the charge letter.

Under the RFL Operational Rules 2026 for the community game:

• Kit and equipment: each club must make all its players available for kit and equipment checks before the match, and at any other time on match day when an appointed match official reasonably asks.
• Protective equipment: no player may wear protective equipment, footwear or any other garment in a match unless the RFL has approved it in advance.
• Match balls: the balls must be submitted to you and approved before kick-off, and must be the type and size the RFL specifies.
• Technical areas: everyone in the technical areas (licensed coaches, medical staff and interchange players) must wear a high-visibility vest and stay inside the area. The Game Day Manager is the only person allowed outside the technical areas, and must stay inside the physical barrier.

Ball sizes:

• Under 6 to Under 11 (Primary Rugby League): size 3
• Boys: size 4 at Under 12 and Under 13; size 5 from Under 14, including open age
• Girls and women: size 4 from Under 12 to Under 18; size 5 at Under 19 and open age

There is no Head Injury Assessment (HIA) in the community game, and it is not your job to diagnose concussion. If in doubt, sit them out. Under the RFL First Aid Standards, match officials should:

1. Know the signs and symptoms of possible concussion.
2. Stop the match if you see possible signs of concussion, or a player reports symptoms to you.
3. Tell the first aider what you saw, including how the injury may have happened and anything that raised your concern.
4. If you are clear and confident you have seen a suspected concussion, ask for the player to be removed. Don't let play continue if the player won't leave the field or tries to come back on.
5. Record it on your match report, and upload HeadCam footage if you have it.

A player removed with suspected concussion must not return that day, even if symptoms seem to have gone or the player or their parents disagree. They must then complete the Graduated Return to Activity and Sport programme, which has a minimum of 21 days before returning to matches (the day of injury is day 0). The same timelines apply at every age.

Primary Rugby League has its own 2026 rules and sits outside the RFL Operational Rules. The main differences:

• No sin bins, disciplinary sanctions or match official reports. When there is foul play under the Safe Play Code, the game is stopped and the offence is explained to all the players, then play continues. Coaches are encouraged to give a player a timeout instead.
• Match officials are optional. Coaches often officiate, and at younger ages coaches may be on the pitch to guide players. Where match officials are used, they must be treated with respect.
• Safe Play Code tackling rules: contact above the armpits on an upright ball carrier, trips, crotch holds, vertical lifting, lifting and driving for two or more steps, shoulder charges, falling on a prone player, slinging, and hand-offs above the shoulder are all infringements.
• Modified game: size 3 ball, no scrums and no ball stealing. Errors restart with a play-the-ball. Under 6 to Under 8 is tag only.
• Safety: games must be paused or cancelled if the surface becomes unsafe, the weather poses a risk, visibility is significantly reduced or there is lightning.

Results are not recorded or published at these ages.

Under the RFL's RESPECT code, match officials should:

• Apply the Laws of the Game with complete impartiality.
• Prepare fully for each match, physically and mentally.
• Act with the utmost integrity on and off the field, and set a good example in how they dress, speak and act.
• Put the safety and welfare of players above everything, and be alert to dangerous physical play, fair or foul, especially in junior matches.
• Respond swiftly to unsporting, foul or unfair play and to any discriminatory or unacceptable language or behaviour.
• Show concern and caution for sick and injured players.
• Report any misconduct accurately and impartially.
• Avoid any conflict of interest, on or off the field.

The code also protects officials. Players, coaches and spectators must respect the match official's decisions, and coaches must never criticise officials in public. Any breach of the code is Off Field Misconduct. If you are assaulted or unduly harassed because of your control of a match, the Laws of the Game say you should report it to the league, even if it happens after the match.