ACCOMMODATION GUIDE

Your home base for the weekend will be in your chosen type of accommodation – lodge or hotel – which are in various locations spread across the towns of Arras, Lens and Lille.

ALLOCATION OF HOTELS/LODGE

When we come to allocating your hotel/lodge, we will take into account various factors before the allocation is confirmed. We will look at the composition of your group – i.e. number of persons in your party, or whether you have couples or family groups who can share rooms or use double beds.

In terms of where your hotel will be located, we ask you to state your preference on the accommodation request form.

Accommodation for this event is based all around the beautiful towns of Arras, Lens and Lille, where teams will be in either a lodge or hotel. Rooms are based on twin, double or triple and are all en-suite. Breakfast may be included, with an optional evening meal available in some hotels only as a supplement.

The main difference between a lodge and a hotel is that hotels will have a bar, lounge and dining area, while lodges just have a breakfast community area.

CHECK IN PROCEDURE

Please note that to make check-in as trouble-free and comfortable as possible, we advise all group leaders to supply our accommodation team with a list of which people will be staying in which particular accommodation – i.e. double room, twin room etc… Without this, people will not be able to receive their room key until the group leader has arrived.

Please note that we do not guarantee any team their preference as different hotels/lodges have different capacities and we have to consider various factors before confirming your hotel. We endeavor to meet your requirements as best we can and will be as fair as we possibly can. Also note that some hotels might not contain some of the facilities noted above.

French Festival Of Rugby

Past Photos From The French Festival Of Rugby

Rule	Under 13's
Number of Players	12 a-side
Pitch Size	56m x 46m
Penalty or free kick	Procedure 1. The referee positions himself at the point of the infringement. 2. Calls the nature of the offence. 3. Walks forward two steps with the ball and places the ball on the ground with the opposition 3m back (offside line the width of the pitch). 4. The ball is then in play for the attacking team (and the opposition). This procedure can never take place less than 5m from the opponents try line – i.e. should an offence take place less than 5m from the try line then play will be taken back to the 5m line to resume.
Ball unplayable	Same as procedure above for U13's.
Ball beyond the dead ball line	Same as procedure above for U13's.
Forward pass	Same as procedure above for U13's.
Scrum	Scrums will be a 3-2-1 formation. No driving and non-contested. The following process will apply to scrimmaging: Crouch Grounded (hands remain ready) Look Put-in (scrum half must put in immediately)
Line-out	1 thrower, 2 to 5 jumpers non-contested. A quick throw-in is allowed.
Kick offs & Restarts	All will be by drop kick from the centre of the pitch and must go 5m. Opposition must be 5m back.
Conversions / Penalties	There will be no kicks at goal in any circumstance during the tournament. This is to include penalties, drop goals and conversions. Penalties will be replaced with free-kicks. Normal kicking rules apply at all other times.

Rule	Under 15's
Number of Players	15 a-side – provided that the team holds the ‘Rugby Union passport’ and satisfies the ‘conditions for playing Rugby Union’.
Pitch Size	Full-sized pitch
Penalty or free kick	Tap or kick to touch applies – no kicking at goal.
Tackling	All tackles must be made at waist level. Any tackling above this must be penalized. Clip tackles are strictly prohibited.
Ball beyond the dead ball line	Normal Under 19 rules will apply.
Forward pass	Normal Under 19 rules will apply.
Scrum	The scrum is never replayed. Educational, not impact scrum in a 3-2-3 formation. The drive is limited to winning the ball along the axis. No wheeling of scrum. After the ball is won (behind the last feet of the front row), no forward movement. No possibility of winning the ball back, offside lines at 5 metres.
Line-out	Lifting is not permitted at any time. The number of players in the line is determined by the team in possession (min 2 players, max 5 players, not including the hooker). No assistance for the jumper, although line-outs are competitive.
Kick offs & Restarts	By drop kick in centre of pitch. Ball must go 10m.
Conversions / Penalties	There will be no kicks at goal in any circumstance during the tournament. This is to include penalties, drop goals and conversions. Normal kicking rules apply at all other times.

Rule	Under 17's
Number of Players	15 a-side
Pitch Size	Normal Under 19 rules will apply.
Penalty or free kick	Normal Under 19 rules will apply.
Ball unplayable	Normal Under 19 rules will apply.
Ball beyond the dead ball line	Normal Under 19 rules will apply.
Forward pass	Normal Under 19 rules will apply.
Scrum	Competitive scrums with no pushing over 1.5m.
Line-out	Lifting is permitted and normal 15 a side rules apply.
Kick offs & Restarts	Normal Under 19 rules will apply.
Conversions / Penalties	There will be no kicks at goal in any circumstance during the tournament. This is to include penalties, drop goals and conversions. Normal kicking rules apply at all other times.

 

The venue for this year’s French International Festival of Rugby includes four pitches, with a grandstand overlooking the main pitch. There will be a facility serving food and drink.

4 grass pitches

Changing room & shower facilities

On-site first aid

On-site food facilities

Grand Stand

Club house & Bar

Easy access to site

ADDRESS OF PLAYING FIELDS

RC Arras
Rue Emile ZOLA
BP 224
62004 ARRAS CEDEX

Disneyland Paris

As a family, with friends, or as a group, Disneyland Paris is a must-visit, and is just 2 hours from the tournament venue. The theme park opened in 1992 in Marne-la-Vallée, and is the most visited attraction of its kind in Europe.

Built by The Walt Disney Company, it is Disneyworld and Disneyland USA's little European brother. The entertainment behemoth boasts no fewer than 52 attractions on a 55-hectare site, a 7-hotel complex, a campsite, a ranch, a golf course and gardens. Smile, and let the Disney magic take over!

To discuss visiting Disneyland Paris while attending the French International Festival Of Rugby, contact us at: info@teamtoursdirect.com

THE TOWN OF ARRAS

Arras is a town and commune in northern France, capital of the Pas-de-Calais département.

FACTS AND FIGURES

Population: 41,000

Originally settled by the Celtic tribe of the Atrebates, it later became a Roman garrison town known as Atrebatum.

It is located in the former Dutch and French province of Artois.

Arras is served by the LGV Nord high-speed railway.

It is located in the former Dutch and French province of Artois. For many centuries, Arras was on the border between France and the Low Countries and it frequently changed hands before firmly becoming French in the late 17th century, the fortifications upgraded by Vauban helping keep it in French hands. The town was closely linked to the trade of Flanders and later became an important centre for sugar beet farming and processing, as well as a prosperous market centre.

In the 14th and 15th centuries, Arras was a thriving textile town. The industry specialized in fine wool tapestries which were sold to decorate palaces and castles all over Europe. Few of these tapestries survived the French Revolution as hundreds were burnt to recover the gold thread that was often woven into them. The term ‘arras’ is still used to refer to a rich tapestry, no matter where it was woven.

SIGHTS AND ATTRACTIONS

The Grande Place

Place des Heros

The old Cathedral of Arras, constructed between 1030 and 1396

The gothic Town Hall

THE TOWN OF LILLE

Lille, France's fourth largest city, is located in the north, on the Deule River. It is the capital of the Nord-Pas de Calais région. It is also the capital of the Nord département. It lies near the border with Belgium and its Dutch name is Rijsel.

FACTS AND FIGURES

Population: 170,000

City's textile industry dates back to Middle Ages.

With over 144,000 students, the metropolitan area of Lille is one of the first student cities in France.

Lille tried an unsuccessful bid for the organization of the Games of the XXVIIIth Olympiad in 2004.

Lille is the fourth biggest city in France, with about 220,000 inhabitants. It is the main city in the region north of Paris and is close to the border with Belgium. Control of the city has changed many times, mainly as a result of marriages rather than invasions. It has been ruled by counts of Flanders, dukes of Burgundy, the Hapsburgs of Austria, and by the King of Spain. The French king, Louis the Sixteenth, besieged the city in 1667 and took it after nine days, after which it has remained part of France. Louis built a citadel here to strengthen its defenses (this is still used by the army, and is only open to public visitors by special arrangement).

The most famous citizen of Lille was Charles de Gaulle, who was born at 9 rue Princesse in 1890. He is famous for his call to resist the occupation by the Nazis in 1940, and was French president from 1959-1968. He died in 1970. The main square in the city (Grand’ Place) is also named Place du General de Gaulle in his honour.

SIGHTS AND ATTRACTIONS

Old town features Flemish architecture from 17th and 18th centuries

Star-shaped citadel

Palais des Beaux-Arts, prestigious art museum, features works of Goya, Donatello and Veronese.

Old Stock Exchange, designed by architect Julien Destrée (circa 1653) is a magnificent example of the Flemish baroque style.

The TOWN OF LENS

Lens is in the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France. It is one of France's largest Picarde cities along with Lille, Valenciennes, Amiens, Roubaix, Tourcoing, Arras, and Douai.

Lens belongs to the intercommunality of Lens-Liévin, which consists of 36 communes, with a total population of 250,000. Lens, along with Douai, forms the metropolitan area of Douai-Lens, whose population at the 1999 census was 552,682.

FACTS AND FIGURES

Population of Lens itself : 36,257

Lens is an industrial city and has a long history in coal mining. Surrounding the town are many large slag heaps, evidence of over a hundred years of mining, which came to an end in the 1960s.

The city supports a top-level football team, Racing Club de Lens.

At Vimy, a small town very close to Lens, are the Vimy Memorial and Vimy Ridge.

The Battle of Vimy Ridge was a military engagement fought as part of the Battle of Arras, in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France, during the First World War. The main combatants were the Canadian Corps against three divisions of the German Sixth Army. The battle was part of the opening phase of the British-led Battle of Arras, a diversionary attack for the French Nivelle Offensive, and took place from 9 April to 12 April, 1917.