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England's Rugby Players' Association hit out Monday at what it said was a"detrimental" plan to extend the top-flight Premiership season by a month, saying it was not"viable" and would put international players especially under"incredible strain".
There have long been concerns about the toll an increasingly physical and fast-paced professional game is taking on players, with worries about concussion-related injuries a particular issue.
At the same time there has been an attempt to bring greater harmony between club and international fixtures worldwide, with rugby union traditionally a winter sport in both the northern and southern hemispheres.
In March, World Rugby, the sport's governing body, unveiled plans for a new global calendar for 2020 onwards which will include shifting the June Test window back to July to allow the southern hemisphere Super Rugby season to run uninterrupted.
In a strongly-worded statement, the RPA said that, while disappointed to learn of league organisers Premiership Rugby's plans via a press release in March, they had invited them to present their proposals in more detail to the RPA Players' Board on Wednesday, May 10.
"However, after due consideration, the Board unanimously rejected these proposals in their current form," the RPA statement said.
"Extending an already arduous season from nine months to ten has serious implications for players, given the potential increase to the game, training and psychological loads they face."
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23/05/2017
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