The International Rugby Board has formally ratified an agreement to help ease the physical burden on elite players.
The IRB said Friday that it had confirmed the so-called "Woking Accord," which was laid out in November and limits the number of tests players can take part in to 11 per year.
The accord also provides for a 10-week minimum rest and preseason period.
"The Woking forum was a historic step forward for the game," IRB chairman Bernard Lapasset said.
"While the forum recognized that the structure of the existing international match and tour schedule is still the best formula for the game at present, it recognized we needed to implement several key measures to allow the game to move forward within this structure."
The sport's ruling body also agreed to the permanent adoption of a September-October window in the international calendar in which to hold the World Cup, and to look into the possibility of a regular competition between the northern and southern hemisphere nations.
