England Rugby Clubs to Limit Contact Training for Safety

English rugby clubs are set to implement significant changes to contact training regulations aimed at improving player safety. The Rugby Players Association (RPA) has been lobbying for these changes, which will revolutionize how contact training is conducted.

Players will now be required to wear mouthguards during contact sessions, which will occur weekly rather than just during matches. This initiative follows the diagnosis of early-onset dementia in former England World Cup winner Steve Thompson, attributed to repeated brain trauma sustained during his rugby career.

The RPA's General Secretary, Christian Dai, stated that these changes will help identify when contact occurs and enhance understanding of player experiences during training. Additionally, the new regulations will stagger the return to contact training after a five-week summer break, thereby lessening the load on top players.

In 2021, World Rugby recommended that teams limit contact training to no more than 15 minutes per week, although this has not been mandated.