Rugby Players Ireland oppose changing Six Nations’ time span

Rugby Players Ireland chief executive, Omar Hassanein, has joined the chorus of disapproval about reducing the Six Nations Championship window to five or six weeks.

The CEO of the Irish rugby players’ representative body said that the vast majority of Irish players questioned on the issue believe the tournament should be left the way it is, run over seven weeks.

Speaking at the launch of the organisation, which is a rebrand from the former Irish Rugby Union Professional Players Association, Hassanein said that rest breaks in rugby are essential for player welfare.

“We surveyed our players in the last few days and the large majority of our players responded and it was quite unanimous, ” said Hassanein.

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“Others voted for six [weeks]. I’m not entirely sure of their reasoning but it was fairly overwhelming in favour . . but also we’ve got to look at ourselves and this is the large part of the argument that Philip [Brown, IRFU CEO] would have and I would share.”

Hassanein also pointed out the smaller unions in the Six Nations Championship would be placed at a disadvantage if the English clubs, who are pressing home the issue, get their way.

Both France and England have a much larger playing pool than the other four countries and have ambitious owners, who pay players’ wages and want them with their clubs as often as possible.

“Those breaks are essential, so from a player welfare perspective it’s a given,” said Hassanein.

“We would definitely share IRFU sentiments in this, we’re a smaller playing body and surely to God a contracted or truncated series is going to disadvantage us, Wales, Italy and Scotland. That creates a greater divide surely with England and France.

“If you look at France, it’s like they’re wringing the towel for every drop with those players and the longevity is not good, the quality is not as good as well.”