There is much discussion at the moment around what a professional rugby season should look like. Interest has been heightened because of a number of factors, the main ones being the English Premiership losing significant amounts of money, player welfare and the number of games they are expected to play in a season – do more games mean more money? – as well as Ireland’s success in the domestic and international arenas.

Going forward, there are bound to be ideas and opinions from all quarters of the game, and it is making those who want to see the best structures put in place, particularly in England, think very hard about the next steps.

It has been established by World Rugby that, in restructuring the global season, player welfare must be the overriding priority. The most important component is getting a player’s game time down to a maximum of 32 games per season, preferably fewer. The other big priority, from the clubs’ perspective, is getting their best players playing a higher percentage of key games so, when it gets to crunch time in April/May/June, they have players who are fit, having played fewer games.

How to manage both and turn a profit? This is where the RFU and Premiership Rugby need to put trust in a growing relationship, which can be open and creative. What helps one should help the other.