Premiership clubs will have a better opportunity to give their youngsters game time next season.
The RFU is changing the registration rules for academy players, meaning they can potentially play for up to four teams in four different leagues.
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Crucially, they can be registered with one club in each of those tiers at the same time and there will no longer be a cap on the number of clubs a player can play for in a season.
Nigel Melville, the director of professional rugby at the RFU, said: “There’s a large pool of young players in academies who are getting great coaching, strength and conditioning but they are not getting enough competition.
“We are freeing up the movement to allow our young players to be put into environments where they can play on a regular basis and increase the level of competition time they get.
“It’s about giving them opportunity.”
The number of EAPs that clubs at levels two and three will be able to select in a matchday squad is increasing.
Greene King IPA Championship clubs may select up to ten (previously six) and National 1 clubs may select as many as ten (previously a maximum of four).