(2026 EDITION: This regulation is under review and will be finalized soon)

Welcome to the Milano Rugby Festival, the largest Rugby 7s tournament in Italy.

First of all, we would like to share a key message for all teams participating in the Milano Rugby Festival: all teams must arrive on time for every match.
We will be hosting over 150 matches throughout the weekend, so please help us stay on schedule!
A 5-minute delay in the first match can easily turn into a 1-hour delay by the end of the day!

REGISTRATION

Teams can only register for the Milano7s tournament through our new website.
Registration in a specific category (elite/social) may be subject to an evaluation by the organization based on the team’s history, club of origin, and international results.
All players must be registered with their national rugby federation and have passed their medical examination.

We understand that not all countries require a medical exam — please contact us to confirm the specific requirements for your country.

There are two steps to register your team:

1. Team Registration:
The team manager must complete the registration via online purchase on the website.

2. Check-in:
Once you have the final list of players attending the tournament, please fill out the player list on our website (available from April 2026).
For each player, you must enter: name, surname, date of birth, ID number, and medical status.
The team manager is responsible for the accuracy of the information provided.
The manager must also provide the list of accompanying staff (name, surname, ID number).

TOURNAMENT FORMAT

The Milano Rugby Festival hosts the following tournaments:

• Men’s Elite 7s

• Women’s Elite 7s

• Men’s Social 7s

• Women’s Social 7s

• Veterans 10s

• Youth 7s

Senior and women’s tournaments will be divided into two stages:

Group Stage: 4 teams per group, 3 matches per team on Saturday.
Knockout Stage: Each team, based on Saturday’s results, will enter the corresponding elimination bracket.

Every team will play at least one match on Sunday morning.
The final format will be communicated to all teams by the Tournament Manager a few days before the event.

TOURNAMENT RULES

The spirit of the tournament is to celebrate courage, loyalty, sportsmanship, discipline, and team spirit, along with all the emotions that make our sport unique both on and off the field.

The tournament will follow the rules established by the International Rugby Board (IRB) for the Seven-a-side variation (since 2007).

Please note that the final interpretation of the rules lies at the discretion of the Milano Rugby Festival organizers.
All decisions made by the organizers are final and not subject to appeal.

If a disciplinary committee is required, it will consist of one tournament organizer and one referee. This committee will determine all disciplinary actions regarding situations not covered by standard rules.

SENIOR RULES

Group Stage: 2 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss.
If a team fails to appear within 5 minutes of kick-off, the referee will award a 20–0 victory to the opposing team.
In case of a tie in the group standings, the ranking will be decided by:

1. Point difference

2. Number of tries scored

3. Coin toss (if still tied)

Only players over 18 years old may participate.
Players under 18 may only play with written consent from a legal guardian, accompanied by a copy of the guardian’s valid ID.

PRE-MATCH RULES

Punctuality Reminder:
It is absolutely essential to respect match timings. All teams must be in the warm-up area 20 minutes before kick-off.
If a team is late, the referee will award a walkover victory to the team present.
With over 150 matches scheduled, this rule is necessary to ensure that everyone gets to play.

Kick-off Decision:
To save time, the “home team” (listed on the left side of the fixture) will kick off toward the main channel.
The only exception will be final matches, where the kick-off will be decided by a coin toss.

MATCH DURATION

These are adaptations of IRB Laws 5 and 6 for Rugby Sevens tournaments.

• Game Duration: Two halves of 7 minutes each, with a 1-minute halftime.

• Finals: Two halves of 7 minutes with a 2-minute break.

• Extra Time: In knockout matches ending in a draw, play will continue for 5 minutes of sudden death overtime until a team scores. The team that kicked off in the first half will kick off again.
  If still tied after overtime, the winner will be decided by a drop-goal shootout from the 22-metre line.

SUBSTITUTIONS

Based on IRB Law 4 for Sevens tournaments:

• Only seven players per team may be on the field at any time.

• Only players, referees, touch judges, and medical staff are allowed on the field during play.

• Substitutions may occur only with the referee’s permission and during a stoppage in play.

• Both teams may substitute players during a stoppage.

• Bleeding players must be substituted.

• A substitute must enter the field in front of their team’s bench, while the exiting player may leave from anywhere.

• A substituted player may re-enter the match later.

KICKS & CONVERSIONS

Based on IRB Laws 9, 13, and 21:

Conversions: Must be taken within 40 seconds after a try is scored. If exceeded, the attempt is void. Opponents must remain behind the goal line during the kick.

Penalty & Free Kicks:
Any player may take a penalty following an infringement.
If a team opts to kick for points, they must clearly inform the referee and have 40 seconds to take the kick.
If the time limit is exceeded, play restarts with a scrum awarded to the opposing team at the location of the penalty.

Kick-off:
After a try, the scoring team restarts play with a drop kick from the halfway line (or further back).
Infractions during kick-offs result in a penalty to the opposing team, including:
i) The ball fails to reach the opponent’s 10-metre line (unless touched by an opponent).
ii) The ball goes directly into touch.
iii) Kicking players are offside.
iv) The ball rolls into dead-ball territory or is grounded by a defender in-goal (only if it entered untouched).

The ball must be kicked with any part of the leg below the knee, but not with the heel.

SCRUMS

Based on IRB Law 20 for Sevens tournaments:

• Formation: A scrum consists of three players per team, who must remain bound until the scrum is completed.

• Engagement: Teams must follow the referee’s commands.

• Kicking: Players may not intentionally kick the ball out of the scrum tunnel or in any direction other than toward their own goal line.
  Illegal kicks will result in a penalty to the opposing team.

FOUL PLAY

Based on IRB Law 10 for Sevens tournaments:

• Yellow Card: The player must leave the field for 2 minutes.

• Red Card: The player is expelled and may not play again until reviewed by a disciplinary committee formed by the tournament organizers.

PLAYING EQUIPMENT

All teams must bring their own equipment, which must comply with IRB regulations.
Alternative kits are not required; if the referee decides that two teams’ kits clash, the organizers will provide an alternate kit.
Player names and numbers are not required.

TECHNICAL AREA & BENCH

Each team may have the following personnel in their technical area/bench:
Coach, team staff, physiotherapist, and seven substitutes.
Substitutes must be clearly identifiable as such.
Therefore, a team may have a maximum of 15 people in the technical area (13 players, 1 coach, 1 physiotherapist).

TEAM ROSTER & REPLACEMENTS

Teams may recruit new players (who have not played for another team in the tournament) if they have fewer than seven eligible players available due to injury or permanent expulsion.
In the event of injury, the official tournament doctor must certify that the player cannot continue before a replacement is approved.
The team manager must then nominate the new player, with authorization from the organizing committee.
The organizers reserve the right to evaluate the reason for the player’s absence before allowing a new player to join.