(Reuters) – New Zealand coach Ian Foster will look to have his All Blacks players involved as much as possible in the upcoming Super Rugby campaign even though the Rugby World Cup looms later in the year.
Senior All Blacks players will only be permitted to play in five consecutive Super Rugby matches before being rested for a week in an attempt to reduce the risk of injury or burnout ahead of the World Cup in France in September and October.
But Foster is also aware of the need to avoid impacting too heavily on the standard of play in Super Rugby when the new season begins on Feb. 24.
“It’s an individualised approach where we look at our players separately,” Foster told New Zealand media.
“The overwhelming theme is to have them available for the vast majority of Super Rugby Pacific because that competition is vital for us, but also that we make sure that we do what we can to have a responsible management plan.”
The 12 Super Rugby outfits will each play 14 matches over a 15-week period in the regular season, which ends on June 3, with only one bye round per team before the top eight sides progress to the playoffs.
Previous seasons saw teams granted two bye weeks, forcing Foster to more closely assess the impact of the schedule on his players.
“It’s been complicated by Super Rugby only having one bye this year, which effectively means you take out a natural break for players,” he said.
“We want them to get the mix right between playing really well for their club and really well for their country. We think it is a sensible approach that shows a lot of trust in the clubs to come up with a plan around a certain criteria.
“There’s a certain degree of common sense about that and a lot of experience over time. And it’s getting the balance with the individual side of it.”
(Reporting by Michael Church in Hong Kong, Editing by Lincoln Feast.)
