World Rugby has taken a major step to protect players by introducing new guidelines that will limit professionals to a maximum of 30 full games per season.

The landmark change also guarantees a minimum five-week off-season and compulsory rest periods after international duty.

Announcing the reforms on Wednesday, World Rugby chairman Brett Robinson described the new framework as a crucial safeguard.

“As with all World Rugby policies, these guidelines are informed by the latest science and expert opinion,” Robinson said.

“Our hope, over time, is that unions and competitions reach local agreements to best serve the individual circumstances of players. In the meantime, these guidelines provide a solid backstop. As we grow our sport, players can be sure they are being well supported by their clubs, unions and at the very top of the game by World Rugby.”

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The new rules apply across the elite men’s and women’s game, with the aim of reducing injuries and concussion risk.

The International Rugby Players Association (Irpa) has strongly backed the move, calling it a watershed moment for the sport.

“This is a landmark moment for rugby,” said Irpa chief Omar Hassanein. “These guidelines put player welfare and safety at the heart of the global game and ensure that athletes can perform at their best while protecting their long-term health.”

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Former All Black Conrad Smith, now Irpa’s head of rugby operations, said the focus on player load management was long overdue.

“Our efforts in the past have focused on player behaviour, with harsher sanctions for foul play and lowering the tackle height. While we support these efforts we equally acknowledge that these have had little material difference on numbers of concussion and Head Acceleration Events [HAEs]. The most material impact we can have on player injury rates is through management of player load, specifically through managing match numbers and contact training.”

The adoption of these guidelines was tied to approval of the new Nations Championship, which will kick off next year. The biennial tournament will feature 12 teams – the Six Nations sides plus Sanzaar’s four powers – and is designed to bring more context and consistency to the international calendar.

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