Overview

• The guidance caps individual seasons at 30 matches, with additional recovery steps advised when playoffs push players beyond that total.
• Players should not be named in more than five consecutive matchday squads under the recommendations.
• Twelve weeks per year without rugby-related contact are advised, including a continuous five-week block.
• International players returning to clubs should receive one week off, and World Rugby is seeking more scientific evidence to refine future policy.
• Player representatives welcomed the welfare focus as calendar pressure persists, notably in France where some internationals could play nearly every weekend and several players logged 27 to 33 matches last season.