The new season of the Aviva Premiership has already been overshadowed by an ongoing off-field saga, which is threatening to uproot the integrity of the domestic game. The saga in question, of course, is with regards to the alleged breaches and investigations of the salary cap.
The Aviva Premiership salary cap, set by governing body Premiership Rugby, currently allows teams to spend £5.1 million (and an added £400’000 credit for home grown players) with two purchased players exempt from the cap (marquee signings). The trouble is, as with most businesses, all of this information is confidential and although the system has been tightened in recent years, there remain loopholes in the system, which some fans argue are being exploited, and nobody except the board members or owners of each club knows who the marquee players are, and who earns what amount of money.
Fans are becoming disillusioned with Premiership Rugby – it doesn’t take much browsing of the internet forums of English clubs to see the extent of their uproar. All they want is clarity and honesty, and fortunately, they are being offered crucial, piecemeal information. In the last fortnight, Wasps, Sale, Worcester, Harlequins, Gloucester, Exeter, London Irish and Northampton have all stated that they haven’t been under investigation for breaking the cap, to the relief of their supporters. That leaves four clubs – Bath, Leicester, Newcastle and Saracens – who have yet to come clean. We also know that only two unnamed teams, believed to be from London and the South-West, have actually been investigated, which, provided this information is true, leaves only the geographically inept people in doubt over who has been investigated.
That is not to say that Bath and Saracens have breached the salary cap. In fact, Bath released a statement last week stating that they spent £4.71 million in 2014/15 when the cap was at £4.76 million (this figure was increased to £5.1 million this season, as aforementioned). So only three sides, Leicester, Newcastle, and Saracens, are yet to voice their position, and this is what angers supporters. Why is it that one rumour suggests that some teams were investigated, yet others which state something different? There has to be more transparency and integrity – if teams are indeed cheating, or being investigated of cheating, it is the paying customers who have the right to know, after all, they are the heartbeat of their clubs.
It would be an absolute tragedy if the golden era of the English Premiership is overshadowed by, and has a legacy of argument, cheating, and denial. In the last few seasons particularly, stadiums have been reaching capacity more often, more big name signings have arrived (hopefully ones that are not receiving unlawful salaries), and the style of rugby has dramatically improved. The sooner the salary cap debate stops rumbling on and on, the better. Premiership Rugby cannot let this volcano erupt, or else the sport of rugby union faces jeopardy in the nation in which it was invented.
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