NS Rugby Discussion Thread (v.2)

[Neu Engollon]

Unless there are any objections, I'd like to make a rugby match officials thread independent of any other of the OOC rugby threads currently operating. These match officials could be used for friendlies, but additionally act as a backup pool for major tournaments and WC's. So the thread would have more of a long standing permanence than just one tournament or cycle. The OP would be through the NSRB executive board account so that future executive boards could make edits.

It would be based on something like the RUWC 25 match officials thread and previous incarnations to that. I can make a table with some basic BB code that would list all the officials either alphabetically or by nation. There would be additional categories for the application beyond the example linked thread, such as 'Codes proficient in' (Union, League, Sevens, Nines, etc.), 'Languages spoken' and possibly a few others. Any additional suggestions are welcome. Thoughts?

[Lisander]

Unless there are any objections, I'd like to make a rugby match officials thread independent of any other of the OOC rugby threads currently operating. These match officials could be used for friendlies, but additionally act as a backup pool for major tournaments and WC's. So the thread would have more of a long standing permanence than just one tournament or cycle. The OP would be through the NSRB executive board account so that future executive boards could make edits.

It would be based on something like the RUWC 25 match officials thread and previous incarnations to that. I can make a table with some basic BB code that would list all the officials either alphabetically or by nation. There would be additional categories for the application beyond the example linked thread, such as 'Codes proficient in' (Union, League, Sevens, Nines, etc.), 'Languages spoken' and possibly a few others. Any additional suggestions are welcome. Thoughts?

I'll make some ponderations about it in the NSRB VPs discussion later today, but to advance: It's a good idea. I think we should add it to NSRB Factbook or maybe to a new Friendlies thread, since the first was created by a CTE'd nation.

[Neu Engollon]

Unless there are any objections, I'd like to make a rugby match officials thread independent of any other of the OOC rugby threads currently operating. These match officials could be used for friendlies, but additionally act as a backup pool for major tournaments and WC's. So the thread would have more of a long standing permanence than just one tournament or cycle. The OP would be through the NSRB executive board account so that future executive boards could make edits.

It would be based on something like the RUWC 25 match officials thread and previous incarnations to that. I can make a table with some basic BB code that would list all the officials either alphabetically or by nation. There would be additional categories for the application beyond the example linked thread, such as 'Codes proficient in' (Union, League, Sevens, Nines, etc.), 'Languages spoken' and possibly a few others. Any additional suggestions are welcome. Thoughts?

I'll make some ponderations about it in the NSRB VPs discussion later today, but to advance: It's a good idea. I think we should add it to NSRB Factbook or maybe to a new Friendlies thread, since the first was created by a CTE'd nation.

No, I'm actually proposing that we make it its own separate thread, with the NSRB account as the OP which, going forward, shouldn't really CTE. Not making it a factbook or a tack on to the friendlies thread, but its own active thread to continue to take submissions for officials, NSRB members or otherwise. It can be linked to in upcoming tournaments, WCs, factbooks, the rugby discussion thread, etc. but I believe it needs to be it's own separate, organic thread.

[Darmen]

<snip>

No, I'm actually proposing that we make it its own separate thread, with the NSRB account as the OP which, going forward, shouldn't really CTE. Not making it a factbook or a tack on to the friendlies thread, but its own active thread to continue to take submissions for officials, NSRB members or otherwise. It can be linked to in upcoming tournaments, WCs, factbooks, the rugby discussion thread, etc. but I believe it needs to be it's own separate, organic thread.

I think Lisander was talking about including links to the new referees thread in the factbook and a new friendlies thread.

As for me, I think that both a dedicated referees thread and possibly a new friendlies thread with a nice new OP, are both really good ideas, and should be implemented as soon as possible. After all, the Multiverse really does need more color blind TMO's.

[Neu Engollon]

I think Lisander was talking about including links to the new referees thread in the factbook and a new friendlies thread.

As for me, I think that both a dedicated referees thread and possibly a new friendlies thread with a nice new OP, are both really good ideas, and should be implemented as soon as possible. After all, the Multiverse really does need more color blind TMO's.

Yep, I think you're right.
We're hashing it out in a separate NSRB exec chat.

I will be working on the officials thread over the next couple days, but still open to suggestions. Also, I will send out a TG reminder to all those who contributed to the above mentioned RUWC 25 thread to see if they'd like to carry over their officials to the new thread.

On the broader rugby front, we're making a lot of progress as to getting a cohesive schedule together and hope to have that for you all soon. There will be some voting involved. Things may still seem stilted and uneven for this cycle, but we're laying a foundation that will make future cycles run much smoother and future boards will be able to work in a much easier framework to get things done. The NS rugby future is bright, folks. We just hope to keep your continued participation to make it all happen. Thanks.

[Lisander]

Olympic Rugby Sevens is about to start. I suggest everyone give a try. I'll be using the Olympic period to prepare my completely new Irises Sevens team to host all of you in two tournaments this summer:

---

URSA Sevens 2 | International LARFC Lions Sevens

Yeah, this summer brings double fun in Lisander!

So, let me explain. URSA Sevens returns, once more searching to establish itself in the NSRB Sevens Circuit. Consider this as a Bid to a NSRB 7s competition. And together with URSA Sevens, the major invitational sevens of Lisander is turning international too.

The LARFC Lions Sevens is a Sevens tournament realized every summer in Linville, a city of the Greater Soria. Linville Athletic RFC is one of the founder teams of the URSA, but in the last years, were supporters of amateur rugby, what caused a grudge with LRU. In fact, they had banned professional teams from club events, but after the success of Lisander Professional Rugby Plan and general elections, the new board reconsidered the position of the club and adopted the professionalism, although with some reservations.

Their event, the Lions Sevens, gather together amateur teams, professionals, social clubs, company staff teams, and even players who form a team on the morning of the tournament, without ever having seen each other before (The Harlequins, currently in the Pro12, were born this way in the summer of three years ago).

Experience:
All of you know me. I'm your NSRB acting president and one of the biggest rugby wackos of these boards. I have scorinated URSA Sevens 1 before, as well as managing Rugby Lisander and its puppets, in special, Alice Bay.

Scorination:
Xkoranate, using Rugby Sevens Formula. Depending on the date of the event, we'll have cutoffs around 21h GMT.

Format:

URSA Sevens:

• There will be 16 nations. In Group Stage, 3 points will
  be awarded for a win, 2 for a draw, 1 for a loss and 0
  for no show.
• If the number of signups exceed 16, NSRB Rankings
  will be consulted and the best placed nations will play
  URSA Sevens.
• Cup, Plate, Bowl and Shield will be contested.

LARFC Lions Sevens:

• Any even number, but the number of teams per nation will be limited to four (except, of course, Lisander). If an even number couldn't be reached, mixed-nation teams will be allowed.
• National teams who failed to apply for URSA Sevens can participate in Lions Sevens, since it's an open tournament.
• The tournament will be played in knockout rounds until the top 16 is reached. Then, Cup, Plate, Bowl and Shield will be contested.

Rankings / Roleplay Bonus:
For the URSA Sevens, the most recent NSRB Rugby Sevens Rankings will be used.
For LARFC Lions Sevens, I'll require at least a line of info about the team, and based on this, the teams will be ranked between "Sunday League players", "Amateurs", "Elite Teams" and other arbitrary levels based only on your own RP quality.

"Penguins RFC are the most sucessful Sevens side in Nationstonia"

"The Awesomers Rugby are seven guys (4 Albericans and 3 Egonesians) who met early in the pub and paid the tournament fee with L$ 50 in coins."

"VNRCBFF RFC, is short for Vehicle National Register Center of Bravestan, Fourth Floor Rugby Team. Apart from their name, they are between the best teams in Bravestan Amateur Leagues"

---

SO, THIS IS IT! Rugby Union Cup 25 is now in the past, as well as Rugby League World Cup 17, and the June Internationals are coming to an end... Now is time to gather interest in Rugby Sevens again! If you have a competition in mind, let us know.

[Bvriania]

I gotta stop disappearing, missed a World Cup and international series. But school's over now, so I'll 99% show up for Sevens.

[NS Rugby Board Executive Council]

PORT LOUIS | LONDINIUM | AVBF

OPEN BIDS FOR NEW TOURNAMENTS

We are currently opening the bids for nations interested in the host a tournament in NSRB Sevens Series. If you're interested in gather all the rugby fans in known universe in an environment of unity, respect, good sportsmanship, put up your bid! Have a look in the Sevens events already in the forum and give your best to host the best players in the world.

We'll be accepting host bids until the start of Olympic Rugby Sevens. Any questions or requests can be sent via TG to this Executive Council nation or to the acting president, Lisander.

[Savojarna]

(Image)
PORT LOUIS | LONDINIUM | AVBF

OPEN BIDS FOR NEW TOURNAMENTS

We are currently opening the bids for nations interested in the host a tournament in NSRB Sevens Series. If you're interested in gather all the rugby fans in known universe in an environment of unity, respect, good sportsmanship, put up your bid! Have a look in the Sevens events already in the forum and give your best to host the best players in the world.

We'll be accepting host bids until the start of Olympic Rugby Sevens. Any questions or requests can be sent via TG to this Executive Council nation or to the acting president, Lisander.

Are bids meant to be posted on here, or per TG, or how exactly?

[Neu Engollon]

Are bids meant to be posted on here, or per TG, or how exactly?

Here. TG questions or special requests to the NSRB Exec Council, or you can post those here too, I guess. Just don't TG us whole bids, though. Everyone needs to see them, and also, if you post your bid here, we can link to them and you can continue to edit them as needed.

[NS Rugby Board Executive Council]

Alright then, Sorry for the delay. The NSRB Match Officials thread is now up. It may need some tweaking, but for the most part it should function as we had originally intended. I would ask that those that have posted to previous WC match officials threads still re-post their officials applications here using the new application format. Thanks.

- Neu Engollon

EDIT: Also, please note that if there's a lapse in acknowledgement on that thread, I'm not ignoring you. It's just that it's a little time intensive to update the table, so I'd like to gather a few applications together before adding them to the table, rather than do it piecemeal per new post. Thanks.

[Frenline Delpha]

Host Bid for Frenline Delpha
Presenting the: Freedom 7's Tourney

IC Information

Frenline Delpha is considered by many citizens and tourists to be a shining gem both economically and freedom-wise. The Frenlinian economy in a powerhouse, making 642 trillion Theories. Computer nerds everywhere also appreciate the amount of effort Frenline Delpha pours into its information technology sector, as it makes up a large portion of Frenline Delpha's industry. In fact, according to the Council on Frenlinian Jobs, jobs dealing with computers and other such devices are expected to go up by 20% in the next five years after the Frenlinian government's shift to electronic filing. As expected, a large number of these jobs are for cyber security firms and government cyber hackers. As for other areas, Frenlinians still enjoy reading, and the sector has flourished. Frenline Delpha has raised quite a few well-known authors, such as Pennington Davids and Grant Hedge.

Of course, the Frenlinian economy isn't the only string to our bow. We also enjoy massive freedoms in every aspect of life. Freedom of speech is a sacred concept in Frenline Delpha, and there are very few areas in real life and one the internet where this isn't the case (endangering the safety of others, e.g. shouting fire in a crowded theater, is usually the only exception). Not only that, but Frenlinians and tourists are allowed to walk around naked without any consequences. Public nudity isn't common, but you will run into people who partake in the tradition everywhere. In fact, with the passing of National Code 113.2, you will probably see most of them leading another person with a collar or whatever have you. Do not be alarmed, as this is entirely consensual and is actually considered normal to partake in sexually deviant interests. We are also unrivaled in LGBT rights, as equality under the law is another philosophy Frenlinians hold tight to. All our laws are gender neutral and no person is given special treatment, either positive or negative, based on anything but the circumstances surrounding their crime. Of course, we did mention tourism, and there's plenty of reasons to come to Frenline Delpha as a tourist.

From the northern ice caps and mountains to the southern beaches and jungles, the biodiversity of Frenline Delpha is almost unrivaled throughout the world. Not only that, but tourism is alive in each spot with both the government and private industries hosting their own competing tourism showcases, and all offer slightly different areas to explore, from the ancient ruins to the modern day slave galleries found in several major cities (it's all fantasy, no one is actually sold off and everyone participating has given consent). Not only that, but if you have a fetish, it's highly likely that there's at least one club for it no matter where you go. If you're looking for a more conservative view of the country, there are several cities that are considered nudity-free, and those all have their own unique attractions, from amusement parks to museums. One of the current attractions in Bloodbenderopolis that is attracting a lot of visitors is the Video Gaming and Electronic Technologies Museum, which features both lectures and interactive history lessons on the advancement of video games and other electronic technologies. So far, the waiting list for a ticket is three days, so if you want to get in line, it's best to order as soon as possible.

The final question all of this brings to mind is why not come to Frenline Delpha. Chances are, if it interests you, you'll find it here somewhere. We hope you all will enjoy your trip to Frenline Delpha and enjoy the Freedom 7's tourney as well. We welcome all to Frenline Delpha for this awesome competition, and hope he council will see the benefit of hosting a tournament here as well. We appreciate the consideration, and look forward to your vote.

Group Draw

The group draw will be sorted using the appropriate number of pots. After nations have been divided by pots, a group draw will be played out on the NSS discord server.

Format

16 teams: 4 groups of 4; single round robin; Group winners advance to a single elimination tournament for the Snaker Cup; the next 4 best teams advance to play for the Democratic Plaque, the next four best teams will compete in the Healthcare Bowl

20 teams: 4 groups of 5; same format as the 16 teams

24 teams: 6 groups of 4; single round robin; group winners plus next two best teams advance to play for the Snaker Cup; next best four teams advance to play for the Democratic Plaque, next best four advance to the Healthcare Bowl

Tiebreakers

Tiebreakers will be (in order): 1. Head-to-head result between the tied teams.
2. Difference in points scored and allowed during pool play.
3. Points scored during pool play.
4. Coin toss (higher RP points).

Scorinating Experience

Frenline Delpha Baseball League
Frenline Delpha Domestic Water Polo League
Various Soccer Friendlies
NSCF 12 Mineral Conference
Gaelic Football World Championships II
2nd United Valhaven Track Championship
NSCF 14 Zephyr Conference
IBS 10 (with Schiltzberg)
World Bowl 29 (with Drawkland)
World Baseball Classic 37 (with Ilyseum)
World Baseball Classic 39
NSCF 16 Zephyr Conference

Scorination

The scorinating will be done on version 0.3.3 of Xkoronate, using the Rugby Union Sevens format. There will be a Roster bonus, and all participants have the ability to earn two days worth of RP bonus before the first match-day, including the Roster bonus. As always, quality will be taken into account well before quantity. RPs will be cumulative, and RP bonus will be reset by 50% after the group stage. Bonus earned through roster and rank will not be reset.[/quote]

If any of the board members have questions, I will be open to answer them.

[Savojarna]

Savojar International Sevens Bid

Sjoedrhavn/Vestrholm

IC Information

The Federate Socialist Republic of Savojarna is an island nation located in the Northern parts of Rushmore, consisting of three major islands, a small part of mainland possessions which was formerly a colony and around 1400 small islands, of which a majority is not constantly inhabited. It was an empire until 1909, when we had a revolution and the resulting state was the People's Republic of Savojarna, a socialist state aiming to increase its people's life standards and development while working towards communist society. As a result, the 22.8 million Savojars enjoy one of the most beneficial ratios of standard of living to price levels. The nation's backbones are mining and technology, and the culture of Savojarna is fairly varied and interesting. Fighting and contests have traditionally been a big part of Savojar life, and as a peaceful replacement for warfare, sports are a culturally highly important way of entertaining yourself in Savojarna. Our favourite pastimes are ice hockey, football, handball and rugby, with Sevens being very popular as well as Union. We welcome all our visitors with hospitality, pride of our nation, a stunning environment and interesting, old cities full of life.

Sjoedrhavn is our national capital and the biggest city of the nation. It is located on the main island of Vestrholmen and connected to the world by an international airport. Thanks to a new express underground line, you can reach central Sjoedrhavn in only 20 minutes from there. Flights will be offered to all participant nations by International Air Savojarna. It will host the tournament at the Stadion Karl Marx, a ground located in Southwestern Sjoedrhavn holding a total of 41'000 fans. It is used as a rugby and football stadium by Dynamo Sjoedrhavn and other Sjoedrhavener second-division teams in both sports.
It traditionally hosts the Sjoedrhavn Sevens, the final tournament of the Savojar Rugby Sevens series, which crowns the national champion of the code. The SIS will take place one week after the Sjoedrhavn Sevens, and many fans from the country will stay in Sjoedrhavn for a week.

Tournament

There will be two trophies contested, the Savojar People's Trophy and the Sjoedrhavn Shield. The format, of course, depends on the number of teams:

16 teams: 4 groups of 4; Group winners qualify for Trophy quarterfinals, second and third-placeds qualify for Trophy partial octofinals.

20 teams: 4 groups of 5; same qualifiers for trophy, third-placeds qualify for Shield quarterfinals.

24 teams: 6 groups of 4; four best group winners qualify for Trophy quarterfinals, other winners + runners-up qualify for partial octofinals, four best third-placeds qualify for Shield quarterfinals.

All KO-rounds are seeded according to tie-breakers (see below). The losers of the People's Trophy partial octofinals qualify for the Shield Quarterfinals (semifinals in case of 16 teams).

Tie-Breakers

0. Group rank (only applies to KO seeding)
1. Head-to-head record
2. Head-to-head points difference
3. Points difference
4. Points scored
5. Random

Experience and Scorination
Domestic leagues in football, ice hockey and handball
WJHC 12
Neptunia International Sixdays (as Ficiscia)

I'll use Xkoranate's Rugby Sevens scorinator, a roster bonus, and a cumulative RP bonus. Quality before quantity, if that still needs to be said. There will not be a reset of bonus after the group stage.

[Neu Engollon]

Interesting. So my initial questions about the bids. Frenline, I like the Cup, plaque and bowl. Why are you going to do the group/pool draw on Discord?

Savojarna, is the name of the actual tournament going to be the 'Savojar International Sevens'?

[Savojarna]

Interesting. So my initial questions about the bids. Frenline, I like the Cup, plaque and bowl. Why are you going to do the group/pool draw on Discord?

Savojarna, is the name of the actual tournament going to be the 'Savojar International Sevens'?

Possibly - it's in Savojarna, it's international, it's a Sevens. But if they are desired to have a fancier name, I can think of something else, I don't care that much about the name.

[Frenline Delpha]

Interesting. So my initial questions about the bids. Frenline, I like the Cup, plaque and bowl. Why are you going to do the group/pool draw on Discord?

Savojarna, is the name of the actual tournament going to be the 'Savojar International Sevens'?

Because I find it the most convenient to use. I honestly can't say I'm a fan of IRC. In the end, it comes down to personal preference.

[Spaam]

Could we possibly organise a Multiverse Club Championship for Rugby League? Possibly with the top team or two from each domestic league?

[Lisander]

Could we possibly organise a Multiverse Club Championship for Rugby League? Possibly with the top team or two from each domestic league?

Spaam, we have the IRLCC. But Ancharmunn, its previous scorinator, CTE'd. Lisander and Rugby League isn't a combination, so I haven't thought about this.

As current NSRB president, I have nothing against if you want to pick up this. I personally would ask you to retain the coefficients, if it were made public... But a long time is past since last one, so I think is ok to go without it.

Other opinions about this are encouraged.

[Spaam]

Could we possibly organise a Multiverse Club Championship for Rugby League? Possibly with the top team or two from each domestic league?

Spaam, we have the IRLCC. But Ancharmunn, its previous scorinator, CTE'd. Lisander and Rugby League isn't a combination, so I haven't thought about this.

As current NSRB president, I have nothing against if you want to pick up this. I personally would ask you to retain the coefficients, if it were made public... But a long time is past since last one, so I think is ok to go without it.

Other opinions about this are encouraged.

I'm happy to run it, if no-one else wants to? Thanks for the support!

EDIT: Do we have coefficients? Or should we use the RLWC rankings?

[Lisander]

EDIT: Do we have coefficients? Or should we use the RLWC rankings?

I checked. Ancharmunn haven't left coefficients. You should start from 0 to every team. The RLWC rankings table don't apply to Club Rugby.

[NS Rugby Board Executive Council]

So, I expected Olympic Sevens a little earlier, to use it as a milestone, but it will happen only in August. There's no reason to wait that long to get the Sevens season started, so let's advance with other questions:

1. NSRB Sevens Series:
We'll keep the bids for new tournaments open until 10 July, 21:00 UTC. After this date, we'll proceed with voting these tournaments into the series. We already have the URSA Sevens, Freedom Sevens and Savojar International Sevens bids.

2. Rugby Sevens World Cup:
We, the Executive Council, as well as some of the NSRB membership in the past, have thought about and discussed bringing back the R7WC, as a seventh (so far) and final tournament for the Series. Its intricacies are still being defined, and your input is welcome. Thanks.

- Lisander

[Bvriania]

Could we possibly organise a Multiverse Club Championship for Rugby League? Possibly with the top team or two from each domestic league?

About the Club Championships, do you RP for it like with team games, or is it just something on in the background?

[Neu Engollon]

Could we possibly organise a Multiverse Club Championship for Rugby League? Possibly with the top team or two from each domestic league?

About the Club Championships, do you RP for it like with team games, or is it just something on in the background?

If anyone's ever RP'd it in the Domestic Rugby Thread, I've never seen it. Usually we just submit our entries with a link to your regular/playoffs club season (Seasogs or IRLCC). Some folks have RP'd it via media coverage in their own domestic sports threads, but that's the closest to RP we've probably had for club championships.
I don't see why you couldn't RP it though, if you wanted to do so. Maybe we have to vote on it. I don't know. I would say that if you did, it would need to be specific to the actual championship (Seasogs or IRLCC) and not about your domestic season or something completely unrelated.
Anyone object to relevant RP in the Domestic Rugby thread?

[Neu Engollon]

Moving this discussion here as to not further spam up the Domestic Rugby Thread:

Is this dead? Would anyone object to me running it?

I object. We must wait The Valhallan Union since TVU have the set coefficients and the experience for it. RUCT has been made by this nation since that long. Please be patient and respect all TVU's contribution to this sport in Nationstates.

But I agree waiting without any further notice is in fact annoying. I'll drop TVU a TG.

Last activity shown for TVU was 19 days ago. I haven't checked the other accounts, such as PolarIslandstates, but I might assume they're similar. RL happens. A TG reminder might be helpful, but let's not be surprised if we don't get an immediate answer.

[Darmen]

<snip>

If anyone's ever RP'd it in the Domestic Rugby Thread, I've never seen it. Usually we just submit our entries with a link to your regular/playoffs club season (Seasogs or IRLCC). Some folks have RP'd it via media coverage in their own domestic sports threads, but that's the closest to RP we've probably had for club championships.
I don't see why you couldn't RP it though, if you wanted to do so. Maybe we have to vote on it. I don't know. I would say that if you did, it would need to be specific to the actual championship (Seasogs or IRLCC) and not about your domestic season or something completely unrelated.
Anyone object to relevant RP in the Domestic Rugby thread?

I'm fairly certain that for UICA, CH does award RP bonus. When I ran the Hockey Champions' League for a few cycles I also awarded a small RP bonus. Usually the RP bonus is applied only from the post which includes the results, or multiple posts if the results are posted in stages, but I have seen some RP inbetween rounds of UICA results being posted (The Redvale was the last to do it, see bottom of page here). In any case, RP bonus, if awarded, should be kept small, ranks should be given precedence.

In terms of having seperate RP's not associated with results posts, previously the RUCT was usually scorinated in two parts, so the only opportunity for RP would occur between those two parts, while the IRLCC was scorinated all in one go, not giving any opportunity for RP to occur.

In the end, its up to whoever is running the RUCT or IRLCC to decide whether or not they'll award RP bonus or not, and if so, how much it'll be worth.

I'm certain I've organized that response very poorly, so if anyone needs any clarification as to what it is I'm actually trying to say, please let me know and I'll try to do a better job.