Which laws and variations apply when I referee community rugby in England?

Adult community rugby in England is played under the World Rugby Laws of the Game 2026, with RFU Domestic Law Variations. The main one is the community tackle height: tackles must be below the base of the sternum (in place since 1 July 2023 for matches between Community, Championship and PWR level clubs).

Elite-only provisions in the 2026 Laws don't apply, including:

• the 20-minute red card (sent-off players can't be replaced);
• the shoulder-line sanction line (community rugby uses the lower line);
• Head Injury Assessment temporary replacements (these only run in specified elite competitions).

Competition organisers can use options the Laws leave to them, such as rolling replacements (Law 3.34) and conditions for starting with uncontested scrums (Law 3.14).

Age grade matches (Under 7 to Under 18) use RFU Regulation 15 instead:

• Under 7 to Under 14: the RFU Rules of Play for that age (tag at Under 7 and Under 8, tackle from Under 9, uncontested lineout at Under 14).
• Under 15 to Under 18: World Rugby Laws plus the World Rugby Under 19 variations and RFU Appendix 9 (size 5 ball, rolling substitutions, no squeezeball, tackle below the base of the sternum, sin bin of 6 minutes at Under 15 and 7 minutes at Under 16 to Under 18).

Off-field rules that affect referees: RFU Regulation 9 (player safety and concussion) and Regulation 19 (discipline and red card reports).