Calls for Definitive Player Welfare Rules, Not Just Law Tweaks

New Zealand great Conrad Smith, the head of player welfare at International Rugby Players, has urged rugby authorities to introduce clear guidelines on match and training limits to improve player welfare, rather than focusing solely on new law changes like the 20-minute red card.

Smith, a two-time Rugby World Cup winner with the All Blacks, believes that tackling the issue of player workload is more crucial than recent rule innovations aimed at reducing foul play. “There has been a lot of debate on 20-minute red cards, but I think that misses the point,” he said. “Foul play is a very rare event and accounts for a small percentage of player injuries. The statistics show they get injured by playing and training too much.”

Calls for Mandatory Workload Guidelines

The former center argues that while World Rugby has guidelines on full-contact training, they are not mandatory, and strict rules are needed across the globe to protect players, especially those featuring at the international level. “The NFL have managed it, but they can control that because they have 32 teams in one competition which allows for much easier regulation,” Smith explained. “We have teams and nations that play across the globe at different parts of the year, but I’ve got absolute belief we can pull out bottom lines everyone needs to stick to.”

Addressing High Injury Rates

England’s top stars are now limited to 30 games per season and given designated rest periods after Test campaigns, but Smith believes more can be done in this area, citing the recent high number of injuries during full-contact training in the 2022/23 season. The upcoming Autumn Nations Series will see the introduction of the 20-minute red card rule, but Smith believes the focus should be on player workload management.

“I’m a real believer in player load guidelines and being clear on that,” Smith said. “There won’t always be clear scientific data on this because it’s a difficult thing we’re trying to measure, but we can’t wait for the science to take action because it might never arrive. We’ve got to make changes based on the knowledge we’ve got and I think we’re at that stage now.”

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