Rugby Players' Association backs Bill Beaumont's plans for April move

29.05.2020 08:37

World Rugby chairman Bill Beaumont's idea to move the Six Nations to April has the backing of England's Rugby Players' Association (RPA).

The former England captain was elected chairman of the international governing body on Wednesday and will make a global calendar one of his priorities.

Six Nations chief executive John Feehan has previously branded the tournament's February-March slot "non-negotiable".

But RPA chairman Christian Day said: "I hope he (Beaumont) can do it."

World Rugby wants a streamlined global season to safeguard players against injury from being overworked through sheer number of games.

Beaumont said moving the Six Nations "could well be a solution" and was a "question of compromise".

'Something has to give'

Northampton forward Day said the global structure needs to be "broken" if changes are to be made.

"Hopefully the southern and northern hemispheres will get together and work things out for the players," he added.

"The difficulty is how do you drive that forward without making some big changes to set-ups that have been a certain way for a long time."

Harlequins director of rugby Conor O'Shea is also "hugely worried" about the duress players' bodies are put under.

"Something has to give in the longer term," he told BBC Sport.

"That could be 'do we have too many competitions? Where are the windows? Where are the international windows put?'

"It's a big jigsaw that needs a few people to put their egos to one side to solve the problem."

'Moving Six Nations massive but needed'

Former Wales and British and Irish Lions flanker Martyn Williams has also backed Beaumont's hopes of revamping the tournament

"I'm totally in agreement. It should be moved," Williams told BBC Wales' Scrum V Radio.

"I'm an advocate of summer rugby and that's a long way off I know, but if we're going to try to catch up with the southern hemisphere that would be a massive part of it.

"There's nothing worse for a player than when you're bouncing back and fore between competitions.

"It would be ideal, like the southern hemisphere, where progressively the season gets harder."

(BBC)

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