ITRA ALL IRELAND FINALS 2011 INFORMATION PACK

a) GENERAL

  • For commentary purposes, please make sure your team wears a matching uniform WITH NUMBER 1 TO 12 ON THE BACK. These numbers should match up with the numbers 1 to 12 listed on the registration form you fill out before your first game.
  • All teams should have submit their list of players ready. Any changes to this list must be made by midday on Friday 22ndJuly – players not registered by Friday ARE NOT ALLOWED take part in the All Ireland Finals. We will be checking the squad lists at the venue.
  • Each player needs official match shorts to play in the ALIVE OUTSIDE All Ireland Finals. Tag shorts from all reputable suppliers are allowed. Tagrugby.com will have stock on sale throughout the day. The cost of a pair of shorts is €20.
  • Please bring adequate supplies of water etc with you. There will though be a BBQ and refreshments available in the bar throughout the day.
  • While the forecast for Saturday afternoon is (don’t say it too loud) dry and sunny, we recommend that you bring suntan lotion AND rain gearbecause you can never depend on the Irish weather!Make sure you also have warm clothes to wear between matches.
  • Please make sure thatyour team DISPOSES OF THEIR RUBBISH RESPONSIBLYand put any rubbish in the bins provided.
  • Thereis LIMITED car parking facilities in Barnhall so we ask all teams to please carpool as much as possible to avoid problems. We will have Car Park Attendants in place so please obey their instructions.

b) SAFETY

  • We recommend that all players wear football boots with studs. You may slip if it is wet and you are wearing runners.
  • In a change from the All Irelands in 2010, we will have 10 tag pitches across NUIM Barnhall RFC and HP (next door). Therefore every pitch will be full sized, reducing the amount of contact and allowing teams make full use of the wide open spaces.
  • ITRA rules do not allow alcohol to be consumed or recreational drugs to be used prior to or during its tournaments. This is for the safety and enjoyment of all players. ITRA reserves the right to disqualify any team if we suspected a player is under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs. There is loads of time afterwards to drink!
  • First Aid: There will be an ambulance present for the day. If you require first aid, please contact anALIVE OUTSIDE Venue Manager immediately.

c) DIRECTIONS TO NUIM BARNHALL RFC

  • From Dublin: Take the M4 motorway WEST and get off at the slip road signposted for CELBRIDGE/LEIXLIP (just after the Spa Hotel in Lucan). Take the LEFT at the top of this slip road towards CELBRIDGE. Go past WESTON AERDROME on the right. After a couple of kilometres, turn right at the CROSSROADS. This is the first set of traffic lights you will meet (this junction is known locally as Young's Cross). Go over a new bridge over the River Liffey and take the first left at the roundabout - you're now at Barnhall RFC.
  • From The West:Take the M4 towards Dublin. Ignore the first slip road for Leixlip West/Celbridge, and get off at the second slip road for LEIXLIP. Turn right over the motorway bridge and continue straight on towards CELBRIDGE. Follow the instructions as above.

d) PRE-MATCH

  • The All Ireland Finals take place in NUIM Barnhall RFC, Leixlip, Co Kildare.
  • We will be using 10grass tag pitches at the venue – 6 in the rugby club and 4 next door in the HP grounds. Please see attached Team List to see where you are playing.
  • Please note that there are Men’s and Women’s Shower Facilitiesat the venue.
  • Team registration for all captains is from 11:45 to 12:30. ANY TEAM WHO ARRIVES AFTER 12:30 WILL BE REMOVED FROM THE COMPETITION.
  • A Captain’s Briefing about the rules and regulations for the day will take place at 12:40 in your venue. A captain or representative from each team MUST ATTEND this Captain’s Briefing.
  • There are limited car parking facilities available at the venue so we ask all teams to please carpool as much as possible to avoid problems. Please obey and respect the Car Park Attendants who are on duty – they are trying their best to find a safe parking position for everyone.

e) SATURDAY’S MAIN EVENT – ALIVE OUTSIDEALL IRELAND FINALS

  • Thetournament kicks-off at 13:00 sharp with 50 teams taking part over 10 pitches.
  • Each group comprises of 5 teams so you are guaranteed 4 x 15 min matches in your Round Robin.
  • The 40 of the 50 teams will qualify for a Knockout Tournament. 10 teams will be knocked out after the Round Robin Phase. See below for Knockout Qualifiers.
  • Your team will play all their Round Robin games on one pitch and you will be allocated this pitch at registration time.
  • At registration, you will receive a match schedule letting you know the times of your matches.
  • WEATHER PERMITTING,each match lasts for 15 mins straight through (no half-time)including knock-out rounds. If it's very wet, we will cut back match time to prevent players' musclesgetting cold etc.
  • Usual ITRA tag laws apply. We have attached a brief summary of the main rules.
  • We will have 7 Venue Managers running the tournament, as well as 15 of the best ITRA Refereesfrom around the country. This is to make the All Ireland Finals as enjoyable as possible for your team. Even though the All Ireland title is at stake, please remember to enter into the Spirit of Tag and enjoy your games!
  • As the weather is meant to be dry on Saturday, we recommend that you bring rain gear and warm clothes to wear between matches – you can never depend on the Irish weather!!!
  • The competition will finish by 19:00 with the Awards Ceremony taking place straight away after the last final.

f) KNOCK OUT PHASE (40 of 50 teams qualify)

  • All teams are ranked 1 to 50 after their Round Robin performance.
  • If teams have the same number of points, they are ranked firstly by tries scored, then by points difference. So scoring tries is very important in the Round Robin Phase.
  • Cup Tournament: 16 teams, all 10 Group winners plus those ranked 11 to 16
  • Plate Tournament: 8 teams, ranked 17 to 24
  • Bowl Tournament: 8 teams, ranked 25 to 32
  • SuperBowl Tournament: 8 teams, ranked 33 to 40
  • Teams ranked 41 to 50 are out after the Round Robin Phase

g) SCHEDULE FOR DAY(Note: These times are approx and subject to change)

11:45 to 12:30 Registration

12:40 Captains Briefing

13:00 Round Robin Kick Off (Round 1 to 10)

16:00 End of Round Robin

16:15 Start of Knock Out Phase

Round 11 = Cup Round of 16 (16 teams)

Round 12 = Bowl QF (8 teams) & SuperBowl QF (8 teams)

Round 13 = Cup QF (8 teams) & Plate QF (8 teams)

Round 14 = Bowl SF (4 teams) & SuperBowl SF (4 teams)

Round 15 = Cup SF (4 teams) & Plate SF (4 teams)

Round 16 = Bowl F (2 teams) & SuperBowl F (2 teams)

Round 17 = Cup F (2 teams) & Plate F (2 teams)

19:00 Awards Presentation

22:00 Apres-Tag Party in d:two

h) ENTERTAINMENT

  • BBQ. There will be a BBQ in Barnhall RFC throughout the day for players and spectators.
  • Awards Ceremony. The prophies will be handed out at 19:00outside the clubhouse(weather permitting). If your team wins a prize, please make sure someone is present to pick up your award! There will be trophies for Cup, Plate, Bowl & SuperBowl winners – the Cup Winners also get individual trophies.
  • Please do not bring alcohol with you to the venue. The Clubhouse Bar will be open from 11:00 onwards. Any player or spectator found consuming alcohol purchased outside Barnhall RFC will be removed from the venue by Security Staff IMMEDIATELY.
  • TagDJ. We have our renowned Tag DJ, John Maguire, spinning the disks throughout the day with speakers throughout the venue.

i) D:TWO APRES TAG PARTY

  • If you would like to continue your celebrations into the wee hours, the beer garden in d:two, ITRA’s Offical Late Night Venue, is the place to be! Get yourself and a mate in for free with your ITRA Membership Card (which we will be giving out to all teams on Saturday) and avail of the special All Ireland Final drink promotions!

LOTS MORE ITRA TAG THIS SUMMER SO CHECK OUT TAGRUGBY.IE FOR MORE INFO!