# Whitsunday Festival of Rugby 2027
## Draw Generation Rules & Constraints – Version 6

### 1. Objective

Generate an optimised four-day rugby tournament draw for 98 teams across 13 divisions, comprising 317 matches.

The draw must accommodate all confirmed matches, respect the mandatory scheduling constraints, minimise undesirable waiting times and club conflicts, and allocate officiating responsibilities alongside playing fixtures.

Use placeholder team names until actual team registrations are available.

Do not silently relax mandatory constraints. Flag any unsatisfied requirements in a validation report.

### 2. Tournament dates and operating hours

| Day | Date | Start | Latest finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wednesday | 29 September 2027 | 10:00 am | 7:00 pm |
| Thursday | 30 September 2027 | 8:00 am | 8:00 pm |
| Friday | 1 October 2027 | 8:00 am | 8:20 pm |
| Saturday | 2 October 2027 | 9:00 am | 9:00 pm |

All times are Queensland local time (AEST).

### 3. Divisions and team caps

| Division | Teams | Playing days | Pool games per team |
|---|---:|---|---|
| U6 Mixed | 8 | Wednesday | 4 |
| U8 Mixed | 12 | Wednesday | 4 |
| U10 Mixed | 12 | Wednesday | 5 |
| U12 Mixed | 12 | Thursday / Friday | 5 + 3 |
| U13 Girls | 6 | Thursday / Friday | 5 + 3 |
| U14 Boys | 8 | Thursday / Friday | 5 + 3 |
| U15 Girls | 6 | Thursday / Friday | 5 + 3 |
| U16 Boys | 8 | Thursday / Friday | 5 + 3 |
| U17 Girls | 4 | Friday / Saturday | 4 + 4 |
| U18 Boys | 4 | Friday / Saturday | 4 + 4 |
| Men's Open | 6 | Friday / Saturday | 3 + 2 |
| Ladies | 6 | Friday / Saturday | 3 + 2 |
| Men's Masters 35+ | 6 | Friday / Saturday | 3 + 2 |

Total: 98 teams.

All team caps remain provisional until the actual club allocations are validated.

### 4. Match durations and field slots

Junior divisions (U6–U18):

- 10-a-side rugby.
- 16-minute continuous matches.
- No half-time.
- Four-minute field changeover.
- Fixed 20-minute scheduling slots.
- Central siren controls junior match starts and finishes.

Senior divisions (Men's Open, Ladies, Men's Masters):

- 10-a-side rugby.
- 17-minute continuous matches.
- Three-minute changeover.
- Fixed 20-minute scheduling slots.
- No senior kick-offs before 12:00 pm.
- Senior match clocks operate independently of the junior siren, but kick-offs align with the shared 20-minute grid.
- Full-contact rules, subject to Rugby Australia approval.

The earlier senior 15-a-side and two-half match formats have been superseded.

### 5. Field configuration

Wednesday:

- Six half-fields: 1A, 1B, 2A, 2B, 3A, 3B.
- U6, U8 and U10 only.

Thursday, Friday and Saturday:

- Three full-size fields: 1, 2 and 3.
- No fourth field is available.

Preferred field allocation:

- Field 1: Older junior divisions and senior rugby.
- Field 2: Mixed divisions and overflow.
- Field 3: Younger junior divisions.

These are preferences, not mandatory assignments, except for Grand Finals.

All Grand Finals must be played on Field 1.

### 6. Junior playing and recovery requirements

Mandatory:

- Every team receives the prescribed number of pool matches.
- Minimum 40 minutes recovery between the final whistle of one game and kick-off of the next.
- Never schedule back-to-back matches for the same team.
- Maximum permitted waiting time between games: three hours.
- Minimum daily playing window: 3 hours 56 minutes, reflecting the agreed four-minute tolerance.
- The playing window is measured from the team's first kick-off to its final whistle.
- Grand Finalists require at least 80 minutes recovery between their final pool game and the Grand Final.

Preferred:

- Aim for no more than two hours between matches.
- Distribute games evenly across early, middle and late periods of each team's playing window.
- Minimise total time at the venue.
- Give both Grand Finalists comparable recovery periods.

### 7. Senior playing and recovery requirements

- Men's Open, Ladies and Men's Masters each have six teams.
- Every team plays five pool matches: three on Friday, two on Saturday.
- Each team should play every other team exactly once during the pool stage.
- Pool matches are followed by a Grand Final between 1st and 2nd.
- No third-place playoffs or other classification finals are scheduled.
- Minimum 120 minutes recovery between the final whistle of one senior match and kick-off of the next.
- No senior matches commence before midday.
- Senior eligibility, competition format and recovery arrangements remain subject to Rugby Australia approval.

Eligibility:

- Ladies: 18 years and over.
- Men's Masters: 35 years and over.
- Men's Open: proposed 18 years and over, pending confirmation.

### 8. Friday Grand Finals – Fixed schedule

Friday 1 October, Field 1:

| Kick-off | Division | Finish |
|---|---|---|
| 6:40 pm | U12 Mixed | 6:56 pm |
| 7:00 pm | U13 Girls | 7:16 pm |
| 7:20 pm | U14 Boys | 7:36 pm |
| 7:40 pm | U15 Girls | 7:56 pm |
| 8:00 pm | U16 Boys | 8:16 pm |

Mandatory:

- All five finals on Field 1.
- Field 1 exclusively allocated to finals during this window.
- All rugby completed by 8:20 pm.
- Presentations are planned before the 8:45 pm Rugby World Cup broadcast.

Preferred:

- Other matches finish before the first Grand Final at 6:40 pm.
- Allow pool matches on Fields 2 and 3 during the Grand Finals only where necessary.
- Avoid senior matches overlapping junior finals where practical.

### 9. Saturday Grand Finals – Fixed schedule

Saturday 2 October, Field 1:

| Kick-off | Division | Finish |
|---|---|---|
| 7:20 pm | U17 Girls | 7:36 pm |
| 7:40 pm | Ladies | 7:57 pm |
| 8:00 pm | U18 Boys | 8:16 pm |
| 8:20 pm | Men's Masters | 8:37 pm |
| 8:40 pm | Men's Open | 8:57 pm |

Mandatory:

- All five finals on Field 1.
- All other matches must be completed by 6:40 pm.
- No other games on Fields 2 or 3 during the Saturday Grand Final showcase.
- Festival rugby concludes no later than 9:00 pm.

### 10. Pool matchups

- Prioritise playing different opponents rather than repeating matchups.
- Minimise repeated opponents across each competition.
- Prefer scheduling repeat matchups on different days.
- Same-day repeats are permitted when necessary.
- Distribute unavoidable repeats fairly.
- U17 Girls and U18 Boys will necessarily have repeat opponents because each has only four teams.

### 11. Same-club scheduling constraints

Mandatory:

- Two teams from the same club and division must not be scheduled simultaneously on separate fields.
- A direct head-to-head match between those teams is permitted.

Preferred:

- Avoid consecutive time slots for different teams from the same club and division where practical.
- Minimise cross-division clashes involving teams from the same club.
- Prioritise minimising clashes for:
  - Whitsunday Raiders
  - Bowen
  - Moranbah
  - Mackay Brothers
  - Slade Point
- Accommodate shared coaches and team managers where possible.

### 12. Junior officiating responsibilities

Team-supplied officiating applies to junior pool matches.

- One team supplies the entire officiating crew for each allocated match.
- Crew consists of one referee and two touch judges.
- Target two officiating assignments per team per day, with exceptions where necessary.
- Distribute assignments fairly, with a maximum difference of one assignment between teams within the same division on the same day.

Mandatory restrictions:

- Teams cannot officiate their own matches.
- Teams cannot officiate a match simultaneously with one of their own games.
- Teams cannot officiate in the immediately preceding or following time slot relative to their own games.
- Teams cannot receive consecutive officiating assignments.
- Teams can only officiate within their own division.
- A team cannot supply officiating crews for two simultaneous matches.

Permitted:

- Officiating before a team's first match.
- Officiating after a team's final match.
- Exceptions to the two-assignment target, subject to fairness requirements.

Tournament-appointed crews can be used as a backup only when a valid team-supplied assignment is unavailable.

All junior Grand Finals must have three independently appointed tournament officials.

### 13. Senior officiating

- Tournament-appointed referees for all Men's, Ladies and Masters matches.
- Participating teams supply touch judges.
- Referees must hold appropriate qualifications.
- Tournament organisers coordinate appointments.
- Appropriate experience and accreditation are required for full-contact rugby.

### 14. Competition points and rankings

Applies to U12–U18, Men's Open, Ladies and Men's Masters.

Competition points:

- Win: 4
- Draw: 2
- Loss: 0
- No bonus points.

Ladder tiebreakers, in order:

1. Points differential.
2. Total points scored.
3. Head-to-head results.
4. Coin toss.

Use actual score differential without a cap.

If a Grand Final ends in a draw, the higher-ranked team from the pool standings is declared the winner. No extra time.

U6, U8 and U10 are participation divisions, with no Grand Finals.

### 15. Match management

- Junior games run for the full 16 minutes.
- No mercy rule or score-based early termination.
- Coaches and referees manage one-sided matches constructively.
- Referees retain authority over player safety and injuries.
- Appropriate Rugby Australia pathway laws and competition approvals must be followed.

### 16. Draw optimisation priorities

Hard constraints must be met before optimising preferences.

Highest priority:

1. All required matches scheduled.
2. No field or team scheduling collisions.
3. Match duration and operating-hour limits respected.
4. Minimum player recovery respected.
5. Prescribed daily match guarantees delivered.
6. Fixed Grand Final kick-off times protected.
7. Minimum daily playing windows and maximum waiting times respected.
8. Same-club, same-division simultaneous matches prohibited.
9. Valid officiating assignments, including any permitted tournament backups.

Secondary optimisation:

1. Reduce tournament backup officiating assignments.
2. Minimise waiting times above two hours.
3. Reduce repeated opponents.
4. Balance each team's daily schedule.
5. Minimise total attendance time, including officiating.
6. Minimise local-club and shared-coach clashes.
7. Follow preferred field allocations.

### 17. Required draw outputs

The scheduling system should produce:

- Complete master draw, sortable by day, time, field and division.
- Individual division fixtures.
- Individual team playing schedules.
- Individual team officiating schedules.
- Field-by-field timetables.
- Grand Final schedule.
- Tournament backup officiating requirements.
- A validation report showing every satisfied or violated constraint.
- A summary of match counts, team counts and field utilisation.

Any proposed scheduling change must be checked against the full set of hard constraints before being accepted.

### 18. Current Version 6 baseline

- 98 provisional teams.
- 317 scheduled matches.
- Four playing days.
- Friday finish at 8:20 pm.
- Saturday finish at 9:00 pm.
- Zero reported field collisions.
- Zero reported junior recovery breaches.
- Zero reported waiting gaps exceeding three hours.
- Zero reported playing windows below 3 hours 56 minutes.
- 23 Friday tournament backup officiating assignments.
- Maximum three backup officiating crews required simultaneously.

The existing Version 6 workbook should be treated as the starting schedule, not replaced unnecessarily.

Actual club allocations, coach conflicts, referee qualifications and Rugby Australia approvals still require validation before publication.