The "controversial proposal" to extend the Premiership Rugby season has player welfare "at the forefront of its thinking," Exeter Chiefs Chair Tony Rowe said, according to Nicholas Godden of the LONDON TIMES. Plans to increase the length of the season to 10 months have been "met with opposition by elite players concerned that their bodies are unable to cope" with the already grueling demands of int'l and club rugby. Rowe, whose Exeter side won the Premiership final in May, has "sought to ease fears about a longer season by insisting the extension will actually allow players to take more breaks throughout the campaign." Rowe said, "The extended season isn't about more games, it's about putting more breaks in there. The reality is that at the moment a guy could start playing on 1 September, and play right though until May with no breaks. The idea of the extended season is putting breaks in so you can rest the guys" (LONDON TIMES, 10/2). The BBC's Chris Jones reported Saracens and England player Billy Vunipola said that "something had to change" to reduce the burden on players. Rugby Players' Association Chair Christian Day said, "As a contact sport, there is no other sport in the world that plays a longer season than we do at the moment, so why would we go longer? This is the first time I've seen a proposal with no positives for the players, so why would we agree to it?" The RPA "stressed the need for a proper" preseason to allow players time to recover mentally and physically (BBC, 10/2).
