Saracens’ McCall says welfare guidelines leave players unprepared for new season

<ul><li><p>Internationals must have 10 weeks off</p></li><li><p>Lions not available until third round of Prem</p></li></ul><p>Saracens’ Mark McCall is the latest Prem director of rugby to question player welfare regulations that he believes have left internationals undercooked for the season’s start.</p><p>Guidelines mandated by the Professional Rugby Board – established as part of the club-country agreement – dictate that England players who took part in summer tours of Argentina and the US have 10 weeks off. They were available for the first set of Prem games last weekend, but could not take part in the two rounds of Prem Cup matches before that.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2025/sep/29/saracens-mccall-welfare-guidelines-players-unprepared-rugby">Continue reading...</a>