Union calls for guidelines on post-world Cup breaks

The Rugby Players’ Association has called for a more formal policy to clarify when England internationals should return to club action following a World Cup.

The most recent player welfare measures limit the number of matches players in England are permitted to feature in per season.

That number hinges on how many “match involvements” players are involved in per season. An involvement constitutes playing for a minimum of 20 minutes, with all players in England now capped at being allowed only 35 match involvements per season. Players are also permitted to play in only 30 full games per season.

More than half of the 32 players used by England in Japan will feature for their Premiership clubs this weekend in the Champions Cup and Challenge Cup, including starters Ben Youngs, George Ford, Manu Tuilagi, Courtney Lawes and Sam Underhill, only a fortnight after the World Cup final.

But the RPA is keen for more structured return-to-play protocols to be established for future World Cups and British and Irish Lions tours, with a spokesperson telling The Daily Telegraph: “We all want to formalise the return-to-play agreement post-tournaments.

“While no one is doubting the clubs and employers in their duty of care, we all understand that the English model is unique, so we want to see guaranteed rest and return-toplay protocols that provide certainty for Elite Player Squad players, Premiership Rugby Limited clubs and the Rugby Football Union.

“We are encouraging everyone to come together to put something in place that works for all parties. A couple of players are already up to 10 matches and that is something we are monitoring.”

England players Youngs, Billy Vunipola, Lawes, Dan Cole, Ford and Luke Cowan-dickie have already featured in 10 matches.

All England squad members from the World Cup will be rested for next summer’s tour to Japan if they feature in 20 or more match involvements this season, which could leave Eddie Jones without Youngs, Billy Vunipola, Lawes, Cole, Ford and Cowan-dickie as well as a host of players who have featured in nine or eight matches so far this season: Anthony Watson, Elliot Daly, George Kruis, Joe Marler, Kyle Sinckler, Owen Farrell and Tom Curry (all nine), plus Jamie George and Tuilagi (both eight).

George featured in a squad-high 32 matches last season for club and country, which would not be permitted now.

The effect on Saracens also has to be taken into account, with the club’s penalty for breaching the salary cap set to undergo a review.