The Salary Cap

So the Saracens are alleged to be urging the more affluent clubs in the Premiership to consider the scrapping of the salary cap!  Across the Channel in France, since the scrapping of their player payment limitations a couple of seasons ago, internationals from all countries like New Zealand’s Dan Carter and South Africa’s Brian Habana are paddling their own canoes as fast as they can to get their snouts in the cash bonanza currently offered by an increasing number of multi millionaire club owners. Owners who, once they get bored with pouring money into a club with little reward, depart leaving chaos behind them. Does a mass invasion of foreign talent achieve anything for any nation welcoming players with huge cash handouts? In recent seasons it would not appear to do so for the French RU side and our own ever so mediocre England football team.   

What price a club like Newcastle, Sale, or London Welsh ever being able to compete on strictly level terms against the likes of Saracens, Leicester, Bath and company in a world where the “bigger the pay packet the better the player” rules as far as winning trophies is  concerned. One needs to look at football throughout Europe and especially here in England where no clubs outside the chosen few super rich like Chelsea, Manchester United, Manchester City, and Arsenal and company can ever win the major silverware. Even in a supposedly fail proof salary cap system of professional leagues in both codes of rugby there are clubs who have not got the crowds or the financial resources to challenge competitively at the highest level and who become the annual “whipping boys” for the big city clubs with a considerably wealthier backer.

Competitive matches, whatever the game are the very essence and attraction of any sport. And the league structures and open, limitless payments in both Rugby Union and Rugby League have, in the past, created an inequality among clubs and provided a barrier to the progress of aspiring clubs in lesser populated areas. Note the success in rugby league last season of both Widnes and Castleford, two well organised and competitive clubs under a salary cap restriction, despite the small populations of both towns.

Any ambitious club gaining promotion to the premier league of a sport must have the wherewithal to compete and the club facing relegation must not be contemplating bankruptcy by any drop to a lower division. A situation too well known recently in both league and Union. Hence the Rugby Football League’s continued use of the Salary Cap but with a far safer and financially sounder mini league play off system for promotion and relegation to and from a reduced more competitive 12 team Super League and the Championship League.

Though there is always the opportunity to introduce one or even two “marquee” players under any salary cap limits both codes of rugby in the British Isles must ignore what is happening in France and even Japan in the 15 a side code and in football nearer home to ensure honest, competitive, professional and amateur league structures capable of producing quality home talent for our international programmes.  

Ray French   (December 2014)