George Ford admits England's leading players are banking on rugby bosses saving them from burnout

Leicester fly-half George Ford says that England’s leading players are entrusting rugby’s authorities to protect them from burnout in the face of a gruelling schedule.

Some Premiership clubs face the prospect of seven games in 28 days when the league returns on August 14. A team reaching domestic and European finals would play 14 matches in 11 weeks, including three rounds of midweeks games, before an extended international window of at least five weeks starts. England players will barely get their breath back before the next Premiership season starts again in December.

For Ford, the prospect of players facing three games in a week is a non-starter, and he has suggested that a limit of 160 minutes per week has been agreed. However, it is understood that negotiations between the Rugby Players’ Association and Premiership Rugby are continuing, to establish further safeguards on top of the current 30-game-a-season limit. “I think it’s something like you can’t play more than 160 minutes in a week,” Ford said. “It’s up to the guys who are acting on our behalf to sort that out and take it out the players’ hands a bit.

“With the RPA, who are in charge of player welfare, and conversations around the number of games and weeks and the details within that - the volume of games players are being asked to play - we got to an agreement where we’re comfortable with volume and workload. I think there is a plan in place – potentially having three games in one week, I don’t think anybody will be playing three games in one week.”

For those players who have British & Irish Lions aspirations such as Ford, next season will not end until the third Lions test on August 7, 2021, without a single extended gap in the calendar. Again, Ford says that there is little that players can do but hope they are afforded proper breaks. “There’s an awareness that there are going to be things put in place to allow players to have a genuine rest,” Ford said. “The situation at Leicester is that Steve (Borthwick) and Geordan (Murphy) are going to have some strict plans in place for looking after players. We’re going to have a heavy workload of rugby in the next few months so we’ve got to trust the coaches and look after yourself and be honest with the guys around you if you need a rest.”

The risk of burnout has the potential to be the second major battleground following the RPA’s dispute with Premiership Rugby over paycuts. Ford eventually signed a new contract with Leicester after being engaged in a stand-off with the club along with at least a dozen other members of the squad. “There were a few things along the way that we as players felt wasn’t the right way to go and we stood our ground a little bit but in the end we had dialogue with the club and got it sorted,” Ford said.

Manu Tuilagi, however, failed to agree a new deal leading to the England centre’s move to Sale Sharks, meaning Ford’s long-time battering ram will now be used against the Tigers. “He's a world-class player and he's a brilliant guy so he's going to be missed round here,” Ford said. “He has been Leicester through and through throughout his career. I was in the academy with him. But it's a situation which has arisen. Manu has made his decision. The club have made their decision and it is about moving on now.”