This rule was quite rightly brought in after accidents with non-current pilots, who had non-pilot passengers. Unfortunately, it prevents a non-current group member flying with a current member as pax. If the aircraft is a taildragger, there may be no locally available taildragger instructor.
While both are equally illegal, there is a moral difference between carrying an innocent passenger, and carrying a passenger who has flown several hours in that aircraft, as PIC, in the past week.