World Rugby and the IRPA jointly established the RAC in 2014 with the purpose of furthering player engagement and involvement within rugby's decision-making structures.

Reporting to the Rugby Committee and its chairman John Jeffrey, the RAC comprises IRPA representatives from the men's and women's 15s and sevens environments.

New Zealand’s Victor Vito and England’s Rachael Burford, winners of the men's and women's Rugby World Cup respectively, were among those who discussed the latest advancements in player welfare, law trials and season structure at the two-day event in London. 

They were joined by Japan’s Kosei Ono, England’s Charlie Hayter, Canada’s John Moonlight, Ireland’s Sophie Spence and Fiji’s Akapusi Qera.

The meeting took place just weeks after the completion of the 2015 Rugby World Cup in England, hailed as the most successful to date, and nine months ahead of rugby sevens' Olympic Games debut at Rio 2016.

"The Rugby Athletes' Commission plays an important role in ensuring that player opinions are prominent within World Rugby's decision-making processes and we enjoyed two highly productive and constructive days considering the major topics of mutual interest," said Jeffrey.

"Players are at the very heart of our sport and this body has already played a significant role in advising and informing the Rugby Committee on matters relating to the playing of the game.

"The work of this group will ensure that, as a sport, we can look to an exciting future of growth and prosperity with players at the centre of the journey."

The MoU between World Rugby and the IRPA will aim to provide a blueprint of collaboration based on areas of common interest.

"As the worldwide representative body of professional players, IRPA ensures the players have the ability to work with World Rugby to address international issues of importance to them and the game," said IRPA chief executive, Rob Nichol.

"This forum, and the bonus of having international professional player representatives take time out from their schedules to attend in person, provides a crucial platform to achieving this.

"As expected the player representatives fully engaged in the topics with an impressive level of knowledge, competence and professionalism.

"This means the forum produced a number of great recommendations and initiatives that will now be acted upon between IRPA and World Rugby."

Also agreed was a joint commitment to consult and collaborate on matters regarding the expansion and development of the women's game.

Additionally, consultation on the development of player education and awareness programmes, covering integrity related topics such as anti-doping, wagering, corruption, concussion management and social media, has been committed to.

"The players are excited about the opportunities that lie ahead for the sport as we look forward to an Olympic year and beyond to Women's Rugby World Cup 2017 and Rugby World Cup 2019," said Burford, who was part of England’s Women’s Rugby World Cup winning team last year.

"The Rugby Athletes' Commission enables players to convert those opportunities in partnership with World Rugby by contributing to the game's decision-making processes."

Vito, who won the World Cup for a second time with New Zealand last month, added: "Both IRPA and World Rugby now have several tangible initiatives that we will be progressing together over the coming months.

"Gathering together like-minded rugby athletes from around the rugby world to discuss issues that affect them directly both on and off the pitch can only further enhance and protect the game we love."



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