Saracens’ McCall says welfare guidelines leave players unprepared for new season

The article discusses concerns raised by Saracens' director of rugby, Mark McCall, regarding player welfare guidelines that he believes have left international players unprepared for the start of the new season. The guidelines, established by the Professional Rugby Board as part of the club-country agreement, mandate that England players who participated in summer tours of Argentina and the US must have 10 weeks off. While these players were available for the first set of Premiership games last weekend, they were not able to take part in the two rounds of Premiership Cup matches that preceded the league's start. McCall argues that this leaves the internationals undercooked for the new season, with the Lions also not available until the third round of the Premiership. The article suggests that McCall's concerns are part of a wider debate within the Premiership about the impact of player welfare regulations on team preparation and performance.