World Rugby clamps down on over-playing of leading players

NO rugby player will play more than 30 games a year going forward after World Rugby announced clear guidelines aimed at reducing player fatigue and injury.

- MIKE GREENAWAY

The issue of too much rugby has plagued the game for some time, notably in South Africa, where rugby is played for 52 weeks of the year because of the country’s unique position of featuring in the northern hemisphere at provincial level, but in the southern hemisphere at international level.

In South Africa, coaches and their unions have largely been making it up as they go along, although SA Rugby has been decreeing mandatory rest periods for their contracted Springboks.

Now there are no more grey areas after the world governing body accepted the recommendations made by a project group of leading experts representing players, unions, regions, and competitions around the globe.

The new rules limit players to 30 full games in a season.

They also cannot play more than six consecutive games.