How do I run a drop-off or deal with an abandoned match?

Question

Accepted Answer

Drop-off (when a winner is required in a drawn match): Each team reduces to four players and, within 60 seconds, takes position to restart from the halfway line, defending the same end as at the end of play. The team that did not commence the match with possession takes the tap from the centre of the halfway line. The drop-off starts with two minutes of extra time. A team leading at the end of the two minutes wins. If neither team leads, a signal is given and the match pauses at the next touch or dead ball. Each team removes another player, and play restarts at the same place with the same touch count, continuing until a try is scored. No time off, and the clock does not stop at the two minute mark. Interchange follows the normal rules. A player serving sin bin time at the start leaves their team one fewer than the opposition until the time is done. A team with a dismissed player plays one fewer than the opposition for the whole drop-off. The non-offending team keeps the numerical advantage. In mixed teams, no more than two males per team on the field (one male if a male is in the sin bin or dismissed). Abandoned matches: if a team falls below four players on the field (sin-binned players excepted), the match is abandoned and the other team is the winner. For a match abandoned in any other circumstances (other than during a drop-off), the national body or competition provider decides the result at its sole discretion. Source: FIT Playing Rules 5th Edition, rules 5.3, 8.4 and 24.