What BokSmart proof do our coaches need on match day?
Rule- South Africa
- SA Rugby
- Club rugby
- Senior
- BokSmart
- World Rugby laws
- Match day
- 2026
- Team managers
Under SA Rugby's BokSmart regulations (which apply at all levels of rugby):
- Everyone coaching the team, including assistant coaches and anyone in a coaching role, must be BokSmart certified and licensed (regulation 3).
- Coaches and anyone in a coaching role who intends to enter the playing enclosure must show proof to the host club's match manager or secretary (regulation 5), and coaches must show it to the referee at least 15 minutes before kick-off (regulation 9.1).
- Not certified: the match is abandoned (regulation 7).
- Certified but no proof on the day: the match goes ahead, but that person may not be on or next to the playing area, and must produce the licence to the host club on the first working day after the match (regulation 8).
- Certification lasts two years and is renewed only by completing the latest BokSmart course, with a two-month grace period after the expiry date on the licence card (regulations 12 and 13).
Minimum penalties: a coach who takes part uncertified gets a 3-match suspension until certified; a host club that lets a match continue with uncertified coaches or referees forfeits the match, and the visitors get maximum league points (regulation 18).
Added 22 Oct 2026