Player welfare must be more than a slogan in packed rugby year ahead | Ugo Monye

The unprecedented amount of rugby set to be played in the next 12 months is going to take a huge physical toll on playersThe fixtures for the Premiership’s restart give better clarity to the shape of the rugby calendar for the foreseeable future. We may not know who England will be playing in the autumn yet - and there is always the threat of a Covid-19 spike - but a second wave notwithstanding, the next year will bring a glut of top-level rugby.Restarting in mid-August will mean almost exactly 12 months of non-stop rugby. Great for fans, clubs and unions who have been so badly hit financially…