Cap conversation is important but radical changes aren't necessary - Andy Goode
Rob Baxter said this week that there should be an open discussion about the salary cap and I agree with him but radical changes are not necessary.
He mentioned the possibility of introducing an American football-style draft to the Premiership but I don’t think that’s a solution to the problem. It’s also an interesting suggestion from Baxter because it would surely have negatively affected Exeter with all the top talent they’ve brought through.
Clubs are already compensated for bringing youngsters through their academies and developing them into international stars but perhaps more could be done, with a significant percentage of those players’ salaries not counting against the cap.
I don’t think big changes should be made just because Saracens have been found guilty of breaching it. They’ve done wrong and an example has been made of them but the salary cap is there for a reason.
It’s not there to clip clubs’ wings or prevent them from growing and improving. It’s there to make sure they’re all still around in 10 years’ time, as well as ensuring a level playing field as much as possible.
Nobody wants to see any of the current Premiership clubs falling by the wayside in the manner that the likes of Coventry and Richmond did in the early years of professionalism.
That is a serious possibility if some clubs are allowed to spend more and others feel they have to match them and spend beyond their means. The game is already beholden to a very small group of wealthy owners and it all goes to pot if they pull out.
Clubs all signed up to the terms of the salary cap as they are and also agreed not to publish the full details if anything were to happen, so there is quite a lot of anger out there at the moment among the other clubs and you can see why.
The league isn’t going to be ring-fenced for next season from what I hear because that would have to have been agreed prior to the start of the season but the talk of it happening continues and a draft would be going in that direction even more.
A similar thing already happens to a certain extent in New Zealand, for example, with players moving around to different franchises depending on their needs so the only way of making something like that happen would be to centrally contract players I think.
I don’t think that would be right in this case and I’m all for players earning as much money as they can but wages have been driven up enormously in the past five years or so.
Semi Radradra must be commanding a decent salary at Bristol next season and he’ll be a marquee player but it’s not right that Pat Lam has had to answer questions on how the Bears are managing to stay within the cap this week.
That’s a product of what has happened and some have suggested publishing all the players’ salaries. I wouldn’t have liked that to be the case when I was playing, though, and I wouldn’t like it in my day job now either!
I think players should have the right for those details to remain private. This scandal hasn’t been of their making either, it’s happened because of the actions of those above them.
For me, there is no need for radical changes such as a draft or publishing players’ salaries. The solution is simple. Just monitor the clubs more closely and more regularly as well.
PRL have got it wrong just auditing them at the end of the season. It should be at least twice yearly and really more regular than that with a continual dialogue taking place between PRL and the clubs.
If that means it costs the league more money, with 12 salary cap officers in place and one looking after each team and constantly keeping track of what they’ve done and what they intend to do, so be it.
We’re in unprecedented waters but increasing the salary cap or removing it isn’t the answer, that would be financially irresponsible, and gimmicks or radical solutions aren’t necessary either.
The cap is there for a reason. It will evolve, of course, but it’s there to ensure the sustainability of the clubs and the game. Saracens have been found guilty and an example has been made of them. Now, what’s needed is closer monitoring.
Comments on RugbyPass
I knew who wrote this article from the first few words in the headline…lol. The red card actually did the ABs a favour. It galvanized them, only then did they step up a gear. Before that there was zero momentum.
103 Go to commentsFirstly the foul on Bongi was a planned move just like the NZ master plan with Bryce Lawrence you kiwis are filthy fux perhaps try to play a cleaner game next time I doubt that’s possible tho but don’t worry world rugby is on yr side they trying to take away all the BOKS strengths to help all you weakling as Jeremy Clarkson would say LA OO ZA ERR..🤣
103 Go to commentsAbsolutely spot on Ben. I certainly wouldn't gloat over a win like that. Frustrating as it is it's done and dusted and history will forever show the result.
103 Go to commentsHo hum.
103 Go to commentsNo question they were the better team. But that is the beauty of sport isn’t it!
103 Go to commentsEveryone is into Hurling in Ireland according to Porter, but only 11 of Ireland's 32 counties enter a team into the national competition. Same old blarney.
1 Go to commentsLet’s be honest. The draw and scheduling in the World Cup was a joke but South Africa found a way after having to go the hard (nearly impossible) way to the Cup Final via France and England. NZ had a hard game against France (lost) and had 5 weeks to prepare for the Quarter, 3 weeks knowing it was Ireland. NZ theerfore had to win one big game against an Irish team who played SA and then Scotland 7 days before. They won and it was de facto a semi final because they were playing a relatively weak Argentina team and it was a walk over. In the final a very rested NZ team was playing a very tired SA team and still lost. They couldn’t score more than 11 points. Put another way SA had to find a way to win while tired and they achieved that. NZ should thank their lucky stars that they fixed the scheduling in 2015 otherwise they would be dealing with a Bok treble.
103 Go to commentsPerhaps if Bongi wasn’t targeted and removed from the game in the first 3 minutes it would have been quite a different game. Maybe if NZ also faced the same competition the Boks faced to their win NZ would have looked quite different. The final score shows who outplayed who.
103 Go to commentsRubbish article! Abuladze played most of Exeters matches when fit. He got injured against Glasgow a while ago and is out for the rest of the season, thats why he hasnt played for Exeter and Georgia recently. Do some proper research next time!
1 Go to commentsGotta love it when kids throw their toys out the pram and can’t hack it with the grown ups debate. Here’s looking at you turlough! 😉🤣
148 Go to commentsThey lost the game period move on
103 Go to commentsSpringboks won! Stop winging. You can change the game however much you and your rugby colonizing IRB want to and the Springboks will win you at that too. Your mind is colonized my friend get a life
103 Go to commentsBen, nobody gets fooled anymore by selective and biased data to support an hypothesis. Games are decided on such small margins these days that you win some and lose some, and dominance is a thing of the rugby past. Look at the RWC circle of fortune…. Ireland beats SA who beat France who beat NZ who beat Ireland. And so it goes on. Match officials help to eliminate real indiscretions. If they had been with us years before, no doubt results would have been different. Remember Andy Haden’s dive from a lineout in 1978 for which a match-wining penalty was awarded? Wales should have beaten the ABs that day. They took the loss like the gentlemen they were.
103 Go to commentsWith all the analysis and how good the all blacks were.The fundamental mistake with the ABs is that this is a test match and not an exhibition.There is no better team(country) in world rugby than the Boks that knows how to win a test match(we are post masters at this).We know our rules, we have the discipline, we tackle like beasts, we take our points and we never give up.I now have educated the ABs supporters(at least say thank you).Please stop “bitching” , accept what the outcome is and move along swiftly.
103 Go to commentsAnd they came from behind to win two big games before the final. No one can say what would have happened. Had the boks gone behind the game plan changes and the result may changes. Ifs and ands are irrelevant. The boks won. Neutral critics enjoyed the games they played. Its not a popularity contest. Get over it and move on.
103 Go to commentsI'm happy for the people of SA to get a second WC. And I mean that. I was very disappointed with this man's “stand on the hand” incident with Josh Van Der Flyer (Ireland). Ireland's downfall in the last WC was they did not rotate their first 15 as the head coach probably should have. That said, I'm happy for SA and genuinely hope it lifts the mood in their country. Ireland did beat them in the first match of the tournament. And before the trolls start trolling ….. please don't bother. Etzbeth said recently that the Irish players said after the match “see you in the final”…..this was actually wishing the SA team the best of luck in the rest, the Irish team were not dismissing the AB’s. This is what Etzbeth was implying. But he was wrong. I no longer live in Ireland. But I hope to see them lift that cup before I pass. Anyway, congratulations SA. 👍
12 Go to commentsMore bloody click bait. Dan Carter has said absolutely nothing. As he should do. Poor journalism again from a site that should know better
9 Go to commentsOh god please help these loosers get over it!!!! You lost. Doesn't matter how many times you dummies are gonna analyse the game, you still lost and we are still Rygby World Champions….get over it, you lost.
103 Go to commentsThe next Willie le Roux. SA are made not to use him.
3 Go to commentsDan has always been as controversial as tea with milk so we were never going to get any definitive answer. So DMac for the win.
9 Go to comments