SA rugby players agree 12-week contact stand-down as part of new deal

South Africa’s professional rugby players and employers have agreed a new two-and-a-half-year collective bargaining agreement, with player welfare measures including a minimum of 12 non-contact weeks per contract year.

With South African players spread across Test rugby, URC, EPCR and Currie Cup duties across any given calendar year, the new welfare stipulations could have a knock-on effect on squad make-up and selection.

The South African Rugby Industry Collective Agreement (SARICA) has been negotiated by MyPlayers, the South African Rugby Union (SARU) and the South African Rugby Employers’ Organisation (SAREO), which represents provincial unions and franchises.

“SARICA is the foundation on which all rugby players are contracted,” said SAREO chairperson Ettienne de Lange.

“It ensures minimum standards of remuneration and employment for professional players, both men and women and is the default document for any player entering the profession.

“It regulates all areas of professional play from the Springboks down to age group teams and development players at unions.”

The agreement sets out employment standards across the professional game, including remuneration structures, medical scheme benefits, income replacement insurance for disability and catastrophic injury, concussion protocols, workload management, salary cap provisions and annual leave protections.

Player welfare remains a central focus, according to MyPlayers CEO Eugene Henning.

“Load management – of training and playing – is one of the cornerstones of player welfare and particularly complex in a South African rugby season that runs for 12 months,” said Henning.

“SARICA reflects that with regulations that are founded on World Rugby’s identification that individualised load management is the ‘gold standard’ approach to player welfare and recommends its implementation where possible.”

Under the new agreement, players will receive at least 12 non-contact weeks every contract year. Five of those weeks are annual leave, with three required to be taken as an uninterrupted block in line with World Rugby guidelines.

The remaining seven weeks can be made up of additional leave, bye weeks, injury rehabilitation, travel periods or parental leave.

“The employers ensure we can meticulously measure the load in training and playing of all players, as well as the provisions of non-contact weeks,” Henning added.

“Professional rugby is played in South Africa every month of the year. However, thanks to the excellent and professional work of the employers’ high-performance departments, the load profile of our players is frequently lower than that of players in other countries with a uniform close season.

“We have learned how best to manage the 12-month season and have updated the regulations in this agreement to provide the best possible outcome for players, against the framework of the South African playing calendar.”

SA Rugby CEO Rian Oberholzer said the agreement provided consistency across the professional game.

“SARICA balances the interests of everyone in the industry. It sets minimum employment standards, setting remuneration and benefits standards, ensuring player welfare to ensure that professional rugby in South Africa is run consistently and fairly.”