Talk of circumventing the salary cap is nothing new and what top-flight rugby union needs is openness
This is a timely week for the salary cap controversy to erupt because it brings back memories of what happened when England last played Italy at Twickenham. Italy exploited loopholes in the law book – to great uproar from, among others, Eddie Jones – and is finding ways around the salary cap, as Saracens are alleged to have done through business tie-ups, really that different? It is not illegal, but is it immoral? World Rugby amended the relevant law after Italy’s no-ruck tactic to end the argument on that point whereas all these grey areas around the salary cap remain.
I was aware of clubs effectively breaking the salary cap when I was playing. At end-of-season awards dinners, or testimonials, or when you are in England camps, players would talk openly about how they were getting paid in various ways to circumvent the salary cap. I remember hearing one story about a player being paid in cattle! That is pretty much impossible to police which is the real problem. I applaud Ryan Walkinshaw, the former Gloucester owner, for coming out this week and saying owners would talk about how they had broken the salary cap, but how hard is it to prove?
Written by Ugo Monye
This news first appeared on https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2019/mar/09/premiership-publish-salaries-remove-ambiguity under the title “Premiership must publish the salaries and remove the ambiguity | Ugo Monye”. Bolchha Nepal is not responsible or affiliated towards the opinion expressed in this news article.
