Gallagher Premiership teams will not be punished for fielding weakened teams

Gallagher Premiership rugby returns on August 14

Gallagher Premiership clubs will have flexibility to select whatever team they want during the final nine rounds of the 2019-20 season and will not be punished for fielding a side full of academy players.

The league will resume on August 14 when Harlequins host Sale at the Twickenham Stoop, with the campaign concluding with the final on October 24.

Given the tight schedule, clubs will have to play midweek fixtures and with only four days between some matches.

Phil Winstanley, rugby director at Premiership Rugby, was asked about the possibility of teams fielding academy players and whether the league would do anything to guard against that to ensure the integrity of the competition.

He said: "No, we will not. We have to protect some player welfare. We need to leave that flexibility to directors of rugby to select the right team for the right game.

"I think we will see broader squads and looking at the number of players that we have had into stage two training, we have to assume everyone who is in there is capable of playing Premiership rugby.

"We have to look at the positives and I think it will give opportunities to some young players that might not have had otherwise."

November 21 has been mooted as the start date for next season, which would give players just four weeks off.

Internationals could be faced with the prospect of playing consistently for 12 months given the British & Irish Lions tour of South Africa next summer. เซ็กซี่บาคาร่า

Winstanley was adamant Premiership Rugby would find a solution with the Rugby Football Union and the Rugby Players Association.

"It is incumbent on everyone in the game to make sure we manage players appropriately," he added.

"We will continue to work as three organisations and be collaborative in that sense and come up with a solution because it is in everyone's interest to have a fit playing group."