[Kit] Are football studs now specifically outlawed?

[smudgie49]

I've just transferred between societies and been copied in on some emails mandating that we strictly enforce the Reg 12 Sch 2 in respect of studs this season. The email also states that 'football studs' are illegal although I'm struggling to understand exactly why? Being a newbie to the society I'm loath to query this as I don't want to appear stooooopid!!
Any thoughts?

 

[chbg]

Assuming that the emails are from your Society officers, ask them what deefines 'football studs'.

Then, unless you know that it has been distributed centrally, send a copy of the email to the team coaches/mangaers of every match to which you are appponted, to save disappointment / anger when you refuse to allow someone in Old Blatheringtons 5th team to play in last season's boots. Actually it is more likely to be the unwaged 18 yo who has bought a pair of boots from well-known discount sports stores to use for all his sport.

 

[Timotei]

Smudgie,

any chance of copying / pasting key parts of the relevant e-mails from your society which state football studs are illegal?

thanks,

Timotei

 

[tim White]

Rule of thumb; anything sharper than the end of you little finger could be illegal

 

[CrouchTPEngage]

I see football "blade" studs more and more. It does vary with the level of game I get allocated to. The lower level games ( or should that be higher ?) tend to be a bit more social-sides and , I know, some of them are struggling for numbers. I often overhear them talking about brinings a long a couple of "mates" to fulfil the fixture. Many of these mates are sometimes soccer players. Whilst safety is paramount, I also dont want to be pedantic and deny a bunch of new lads the game experience.
Anything looking dodgy, I will run my hand down them to check. Some moulded studs tend to get sharpened when walked through car-parks, concrete etc. Anything that I think would cause a cut, then I would send them back to get changed. Again, I found that some social sides do tend to have a couple of spare pairs of boots as someone always forgets them

 

[smudgie49]

Here is a quote from the letter:

......will be following World Rugby's Regulation 12 in relation to studs in rugby boots. The Regulation has been in force for many years. We have noticed the increased use of football studs which are illegal in rugby. We will be 'enforcing' the Regulation from the pre season warm up matches through into the new season. While blades are acceptable(as long as they are not damaged) the specifications are laid down, in some detail in Regulation 12 Schedule 2
file:///home/chronos/u-5ca8dd1390520ca6a2fa2ab97dc3b94c317487a9/Downloads/World_Rugby_Regulation12_EN.pdf
The Regulation includes youth players.
Please forward this to any connections you have as a referee at a club and for club personnel please circulate to coaches, managers, captains.
Referees will do their best to advise but the ultimate line is if studs are not legal, a player cant wear the boots they are in which could mean they cant play in a match.

I sought clarity on why a football stud is 'illegal' per se and was told it was because of the diameter of football studs.

Hi
It's the dimensions of the studs that differ, football studs having a smaller diameter. Yes they aren't mentioned in the regs but do not oblige the WR regs. Players and parents are sold football boots and don't purchase the necessary rugby studs if the football studs are removable.
I hope this clarify things for you.

 

[L'irlandais]

[laws]World Rugby REGULATIONS – LAW 4.3
Studs/cleats of player’s boots must conform with World Rugby Specifications (Regulation 12), must not be longer than 21 mm, and must not have any burring or sharp edges[/laws]
A read of worldrugby specifications regulation 12 may shed some light on the matter.
Page 217 (page 27 of this PDF) schedule 2 Figure 1 Correct size of stud.

Going to look like a right job's worth bringing a vernier scale to check stud diameters of both teams prematch.
Will a quick stud check allow you to notice the difference between a 21mm diameter point and an soccer one?
Minimum tip diameter for a soccer cleat is 12.7mm, yet 10mm is acceptable in Rugby.

 

[crossref]

This is an area that is hopelessly confused
If you get something from your society that is completely clear then follow it. Otherwise just use common sense, no particular type of stud is illegal per se, but DK anything that seems dangerous

 

[L'irlandais]

I agree.
But it is unfair of World Rugby to throw the responsibility on the match referee.
A clear simple ruling/approved logo is what is needed. *No kite mark exists for rugby boots, but even if it did refs should not have to check for it. The final responsibility must be with the players to ensure that they play in safe boots. (Front rows in grassroots rugby should note, sharpening studs while crossing the carpark, is a big no, no.)

The latest Nike high end soccer boot is out, as it has a tip diameter of less than 8mm
visual, but how likely are you to spot those on a quick stud check?

 

[smudgie49]

Thanks gents - I get this now. Looks like my society is trying to simplify things by saying 'no football studs' across the board plus the added safety of the pre-match stud inspection. I'll be on the look-out for those Nike boots!!

 

[crossref]

But what is a 'football stud', and how do you recognise one? I don't see how that advice helps anything

 

[Guyseep]

Here in North America, a lot of players play soccer and in high school also play American Football. It can sometimes be difficult to find "rugby specific" studs, whether metal, removable or molded rubber. Very often a large part of the team uses blade type boots.

I'll do a cleat check and if anything looks borderline suspicious I'll run my hand over to check for sharp edges. I'll also ask them to change boots if they have spares (which they almost never have). Not wanting to deny them the change to play, I let them know that if I see them using their studs in any dangerous way it's a straight YC or worse. This usually keeps them in check.

 

[Phil E]

Rugby studs are fat and rounded at the tip.
Football studs are much narrower, but the specific part to worry about its the width of the tip.
If the tip of the stud is less than 10mm across they are illegal. As mentioned the trend with new football boots is for this very narrow stud tip. Trust me, when you see it you will know. It doesn't mean the boots are illegal, they just need to swap the studs for rugby ones.
There's nothing wrong with using blades.

 

[winchesterref]

I agree.
But it is unfair of World Rugby to throw the responsibility on the match referee.
A clear simple ruling/approved logo is what is needed. *No kite mark exists for rugby boots, but even if it did refs should not have to check for it. The final responsibility must be with the players to ensure that they play in safe boots. (Front rows in grassroots rugby should note, sharpening studs while crossing the carpark, is a big no, no.)

The latest Nike high end soccer boot is out, as it has a tip diameter of less than 8mm
visual, but how likely are you to spot those on a quick stud check?

Very quickly. They're ridiculously obvious.

vs

(visual from previous post)

 

[Pinky]

The problem with all this is that no stud is illegal per se. It is illegal if it is more likely to cause injury than the "standard" spec rugby stud, conical and fully aluminium. Now back in the day Adidas were not happy that their predator blades were being banned as they did not have a standard spec stud, and as I recall they muscled up to the IRB about this and the IRB backed down from having an approval process for studs as they do for many other items of apparel. I am not sure what Nike say about their studs for rugby, but I doubt if they would consider them to offer a significant risk of injury as soccer and gridiron all have contact between boots and body parts as a realistically frequent part of the game. IMO all refs can do is to consider if there is anything about a boot that is obviously dangerous, we don't carry the testing equipment (and fake flesh) to carry out a full reg 12 check and it is blatantly absurd for any society of union to say you must check for compliance with Reg 12 as that is impossible pitch-side

 

[chrismtl]

Those Nike studs are nothing new. They came out before the last FIFA World Cup. At the time I saw quite a few rugby players playing with exactly those studs in Internationals and top domestic competitions. I don't really pay attention to pro boots anymore, but I would doubt that anything has changed since that time. Also, the same stud design is made in a non-screw stud and can't be removed.

Just as a separate point, I have 2 pairs of moulded predators, one football and one rugby, and they have the exact same sole. So to ban football boots outright makes absolutely no sense. I'm pretty sure most (all) people here have bigger things to worry about with their refereeing than whether or not studs are the proper diameter.

 

[crossref]

Rugby studs are fat and rounded at the tip.
Football studs are much narrower, but the specific part to worry about its the width of the tip.
If the tip of the stud is less than 10mm across they are illegal. As mentioned the trend with new football boots is for this very narrow stud tip. Trust me, when you see it you will know. It doesn't mean the boots are illegal, they just need to swap the studs for rugby ones.
There's nothing wrong with using blades.

aren't blades a type of 'football stud' ?

 

[Phil E]

aren't blades a type of 'football stud' ?

My Asics rugby boots have blades.

 

[Lee Lifeson-Peart]

My Asics rugby boots have blades.

Ditto.

I had two lads wearing Nike boots with those studs in last year. It was a merit team game and I let them wear them although I did tell the pair (one on each side) that they looked non compliant.

Having our tea one of the two mentioned he hurt his ribs making a tackle when he landed on the underside of the oppos boot. He lifted his shirt to reveal a sort of fat version of Bruce Lee in Enter the Dragon. I told him it was his Nike boot wearing colleague he landed on and suggested:-

1) serves him right.

2) he'll change his studs for next week.

Oh how we laughed. Sits back and prepares to be castigated for allowing the Nike boots to be worn.

I've seen similar studs a couple of times since and just haven't bothered mentioning it.

YMMV.

 

[crossref]

Ditto.

I had two lads wearing Nike boots with those studs in last year. It was a merit team game and I let them wear them although I did tell the pair (one on each side) that they looked non compliant.

I understand your reluctance to ban boots, the situation we are in is so unclear.

But at the end of the day apair of boots is either safe (in your opinion) or dangerous (in your opinion), and you act accordingly -- but I can't see why you'd apply different standard because it's a merit table game.