Special measures including a limit on game time have been announced to try to help players survive the never-ending English domestic rugby season. No individual will be allowed to start more than two matches in the same week and players will only be permitted to be on the pitch for a maximum of 180 minutes per week.
A mental health monitoring programme is also being launched as Premiership clubs brace themselves for an unprecedented flurry of six matches in 23 days starting this Friday. With Covid-19 having forced the suspension of the season back in March and the restart delayed until last weekend, the dangers of overloading players are clear and obvious.
With less than a month separating the end of this season and the start of the 2020-21 campaign and with England players also required for international duty in between, the fixture list is a wafer-thin mint short of collapsing under its own weight. Conor O’Shea, director of performance rugby at the Rugby Football Union, insists, however, that “a really positive solution” has been negotiated.
The agreement confirmed by the Professional Game Board entitles all players to a three-week in-season rest period in 2020-21, with no individual able to play in more than six of the seven 2019-20 league games scheduled between 14 August and 13 September. England players will also receive a one-week break after England v Italy on 31 October and have two weeks off in the period following their return to their clubs in December.
In a further attempt to ease pressure on clubs currently juggling a whole range of pressing issues, the Premiership Shield – formerly known as the A league – has been scrapped for this season, with its long-term future to be reviewed. It leaves directors of rugby with two types of player – those in danger of playing too much and those suddenly at risk of not playing enough.
It is among the reasons why Exeter’s director of rugby, Rob Baxter, believes a degree of flexibility will need to be given to clubs, rather than compulsory edicts being delivered from on high. “The key to all this – and the single biggest thing the RPA [the Rugby Players’ Association], the RFU and Premiership Rugby all need to get their heads around – is that there has to be an element of club management allowed,” said Baxter. “Too many hard and fast rules and clubs will always be asking for exceptional circumstances.
“It doesn’t take a genius to work out that if you have injuries in a couple of specialist positions any planning about maximum minutes or games can go right out of the window. You’ll be spending every waking minute asking for exceptional circumstances for players to play. Most clubs carry three tightheads who can play at Premiership level. If you have two tight-head injuries you’re obviously going to ask for the opportunity for that last tighthead to play a bit more than you’d like. Same with hooker, same with other specialist positions.”
Premiership Rugby has confirmed that exceptional circumstances will be taken into account, with all player welfare initiatives under constant review and monitored weekly. The reality, however, is that everyone has their fingers firmly crossed, praying a raft of untimely injuries or a spike in Covid infections does not derail rugby’s cautious return over the next three weeks. Jamie Roberts has tested positive for coronavirus days before his new Dragons side are due to restart their season against the Ospreys on Sunday.
The Munster and Ireland fly-half Joey Carbery has been ruled out for an indefinite period with an ankle injury he initially sustained a year ago.