Skipper Pat Sanderson has been freed to lead Worcester Warriors into their second Premiership campaign on Sunday after the Rugby Football Union reached an agreement with Premier Rugby over enforced rest periods.
At one point it seemed the openside flanker would miss this weekend's derby with Gloucester because the RFU were insisting on an 11-week rest period for players who went on international tours in the summer.
Sanderson captained the England side that won the Churchill Cup in Canada at the end of June and under the previous regulations would have been ineligible to play a full match until September 11.
But the governing body has bowed to pressure from the 12 Premiership clubs and reduced the recovery period to ten weeks.
Worcester team-mate Andy Gomarsall would not have been affected because he played less than 40 minutes of the Churchill Cup final against Argentina.
Warriors director of rugby John Brain welcomed the decision and questioned the need for mandatory rest periods at all.
Brain said: " It is definitely the right thing to do otherwise it would devalue the start of the Premiership season. What people have to do is trust those that run clubs to give players appropriate breaks.
"We don't want to play players who are out on their feet. We have got a vested interest in healthy players."
The ruling may still cause problems for English players who represented the British Lions in New Zealand. That tour ended on July 9, meaning some players will not be able to play a full match until September 24.
Gomarsall, however, will not play on Sunday and may be out for several weeks after picking up a knee injury in the friendly match with Benetton Treviso last Friday.
The former Gloucester scrum-half had a scan in London last night which revealed he had sustained some cartilage damage and bruising to a bone, although Brain could not put a time on a return to fitness.
