The salary cap which has been in place in Premiership Rugby since 1999 should be abolished, according to Saracens’ Chief Executive, Ed Griffiths.

Currently, Aviva Premiership clubs salary budget mustn’t be in excess of five million pounds, with an additional five hundred thousand pounds being added to the cap next season, stretching each teams allowance to five and a half million pounds. Additionally, each club are permitted a Marquee Player who’s wages don’t count towards the salary cap.

Griffiths, however, feels that the English clubs should abolish what he feels is a restrictive law so that Premiership Clubs can compete with the lucrative contracts on offer in France.

It would be a pity if the world’s top players light up the World Cup on English soil, and then leave to play club rugby in France. If the salary cap is left to forbid the required investment, it will kill any hope of growth.

Imagine the likes of Arsenal or Manchester City being asked to compete with Barcelona, Bayern and Real Madrid under those circumstances. It would never happen, but it happens in rugby.

Source: The Telegraph

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Despite being previously linked with a lucrative move to Stade Francais, Australian scrum half Will Genia looks set to join Bath, as per today’s Daily Telegraph. 

After the Premiership loosened their stance on foreign ‘marquee’ signings, allowing their clubs to sign an additional player who is excluded from the clubs’ salary cap to be signed on the proviso that they haven’t played in the Premiership in the twelve months previous to their signing, Bath-who have already paid a pretty penny to acquire South Sydney Rabbitoh’s Rugby League star, Sam Burgess- made their move for the fifty five time capped Wallaby Genia.

As well as voting to change their laws on an additional marquee position for each club to sign, the Premiership Owners & Shareholders meeting on Wednesday also saw the ratification of an increase of each clubs salary allowance, which will rise next season by £500,000 from £5 million to £5.5 million.

The rationale behind the increase in each teams salary cap is according, to the Premiership CEO, Mark McCafferty, to stop the flow of indigenous players seeking more lucrative deals in League’s such as France and Japan.

Also, McCafferty says there is a correlation between the advent of BT Sports’ new broadcasting deal with the Premiership, as well as the revenue yielded from the Rugby Champions Cup, and the increase in each teams financial parameters.

Ultimately, though, it is McCafferty’s assertion that new regulations are aimed at producing even more talent for the English National pool, claming that clubs are  “100 per cent” behind the Rugby Football Union’s policy of only selecting players from the Premiership and insisted the rise of the cap was also key in helping the strength of Stuart Lancaster’s England team.

Article Source: The Telegraph

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