Players being forced to rest
NO Sale player can start three games in a week under new rules brought out to protect players during the hectic fixture list caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Also for the current Gallagher Premiership campaign, no player can feature in more than 180 minutes if selected in the matchday 23 on three occasions in a week.
And in the new protocols released by the Professional Game Board, between August 14 and September 13, a player cannot be selected in more than six matches and a player’s training load will be managed if they are in three matchday squads during a seven-day period.
Clubs will give players three weeks off at the end of the Premiership season, but those in the play-off final will only be able to offer their squad a two-and-ahalf week break and also have just one-and-a-half weeks to prepare for round one of the 2020-21 campaign. No pre-season friendlies will be arranged for clubs in the Premiership or European finals either.
England players will be given a one-week break after they have played Italy in the Six Nations on October 31 and a further two weeks off following their return to club rugby in December.
Sale’s 2020-21 Premiership season will start on November 20 and conclude with the play-off final on June 26. A game-wide mental health monitoring programme will also be launched and will be available for all players. There will be no Premiership Rugby Shield next season, but this decision will be reviewed.