Players continue to drive global workload guidelines

International Rugby Players has vowed to continue its drive towards better match and training load guidelines, as demands increase on professional players.

The topic was a key focus at World Rugby’s “Shape of the Game” conference in London last month, where the global players’ body, along with coaches, match officials and rugby authorities gave the green light to the Player Load Project Group to continue exploring measures aimed at reducing the load on players over the course of a season.

The Group was established in 2023 where it developed:

• A five-week (consecutive) off-season with no rugby
• A maximum 30 match season or a one week break after every 6 games
• Communication protocols between clubs and countries to ensure players aren’t overloaded with excessive matches and training

Two other significant areas relating to player rest following international competition blocs, as well as non-contact periods during the season are still being debated by the group, which is made up of representatives from World Rugby, International Rugby Players, unions and professional competitions.

The guidelines will respect local arrangements already in place and are focused on the significant number of players who either aren’t covered by local guidelines or play in competitions where guidelines do not exist.

Head of Rugby Operations, Conrad Smith, said a lot of good work has been done in recent years but more is needed.

“We’ve been working very hard in the last year to reach consensus on this very important area,” said the former All Black.

“Proper player load guidelines are crucial to both injury prevention and ensuring best performance. Many countries already have guidelines like these in place, but we want to ensure that, as a minimum standard, they are available to every professional player.”

Head of Women’s Rugby, Rachael Burford, said: “As the demands on professional players continue to grow, it’s crucial that we have these standards in place so that players aren’t overloaded.

“Just like other industries, rugby has a duty of care to its employees and while the developments so far have been positive, we will continue to work hard to ensure that players are protected as much as possible.

“This includes understanding our female players better and being prepared to differentiate the guidelines as our understanding of the female athlete develops,” added Burford.

International Rugby Players will continue their involvement with the Player Load Project Group over the coming weeks and months.