Vodacom Bulls coach Johan Ackermann says World Rugby’s new player welfare guidelines will only work locally if the franchises and SA Rugby align. DYLAN JOHNSON reports.

The new regulations, unveiled this week, limit professionals to a maximum of 30 full matches per calendar year, while guaranteeing a five-week off-season and mandatory rest periods.

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Speaking ahead of the Bulls’ URC clash with Leinster at Loftus on Saturday, Ackermann said the reforms were inevitable given the modern game’s demands.

“I think it was coming, because of the amount of rugby that is played,” he explained. “There are only 52 weeks in a year. If you already take 30 weeks of matches and add five weeks of compulsory break, there’s not much time left for preparation and conditioning.”

For South African sides, Ackermann said cooperation between SA Rugby and the URC franchises will be crucial.

“If we have 15 Tests in one year, that leaves just 15 matches for us in the URC, pre-season and in European competitions. If they can limit Test rugby to maybe 10 or 11 matches, it gives us a bit of leeway to work with the players in all the competitions.

“We can’t just play Tests for the sake of it. Hopefully, we can find a balance.”

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Ackermann also highlighted the often overlooked strain on squad players.

“The player who doesn’t feature in the URC every week might not reach 30 games, but he’s still training hard every day. That’s a mental challenge. Proper breaks are needed for those guys too.”

He added that the domestic calendar, including the Currie Cup, adds further complexity.

“It’s an ongoing debate whether the Currie Cup sits in the right time slot of the year. There are sponsors and other parties involved so I can’t speak on that, but it all comes back to player welfare.”

While supporting the principle of a 30-game cap, Ackermann cautioned that it could become another burden for coaches to manage. He also highlighted the difficulties for European sides, particularly in France.

“The French teams play a lot of rugby, 13 home and away league matches make 26 games before you even add semi-finals, finals, European competitions and Test rugby. I don’t know how they are going to keep it to 30. They’ll have to rest players and juggle it like us.”

Photo: Sydney Seshibedi/Gallo Images