Marquee player rule change creating headaches for Prem clubs
A recent change to the marquee player rule is causing issues behind the scenes for Gallagher Premiership clubs.
According to salary cap regulations, Gallagher Premiership clubs are allowed two ‘excluded players’ – commonly known as marquee players, who are positioned outside of the £5 million salary cut.
It allows clubs with deep enough pockets to fork out large salaries for select players, giving them to the ability to compete with France, Japan, and to a lesser extent, the URC for top overseas talent. It is also there to protect valuable homegrown players from being tempted by lucrative deals abroad. Premiership teams tend to keep the identities of their marquee players close to their chest and under the regulations, no Premiership side has a right to know the marquee players at other clubs.
However, from the 2022/23 season the two-player rule will end, with clubs reduced to one marquee player. The rub is that the reduction only comes into effect once a marquee player’s current contract has come to its natural end.
Premier Rugby state: “Excluded players will reduce to one player, except for where a club has a current contract in place for two excluded players. In that scenario, both players may remain as excluded players until the first of their current contracts expire. The decision to reduce from two excluded players to one is based on balancing financial sustainability while still attracting the best talent from around the world to the league.”
What this basically means is that clubs who have both marquee players under long-term contracts can effectively keep two ‘excluded’ big-name players in their squad, even as others are reduced to one, at least to the end of the shortest of the two contracts.
Likewise, clubs who had marquee players on shorter-term contracts – and RugbyPass understands there are plenty – are now feeling the pinch as they find themselves in the position of having to fit a marquee player back into their £5 million salary cap – who may have been on as much as £500,000 or more.
This is resulting in an even bigger squeeze on contract negotiations, as normal senior squad players who are seeking to bounce back up from their 25 per cent pandemic salary cut in 2020 are met with recruitment staff that are struggling to keep everyone happy.
The result of the current salary squeeze can be seen this season, with any number of high-profile transfers grabbing headlines in recent weeks. Vincent Koch to Wasps, George Ford to Sale, Ellis Genge to Bristol Bears and Jonny Hill to Sale Sharks have all made waves after a relatively quiet transfer market 12 months ago. While not all of these transfers are a direct result t of the squeeze, they’re part of a landscape of intense negotiations at many clubs.
“What I am finding mainly at the moment is the majority of ballpark salary expectations coming in are still salaries that you would still expect to be paying if it was a £6.4million market,” said Exeter Chiefs DoR Rob Baxter, just a week prior to Hill leaving the club. “It doesn’t really seem to be at this stage that kind of realisation that it is a big drop off. In theory, it is probably a bit more than a 25 per cent drop off when you start talking about second marquee players disappearing next season if they are not under contract.”
There is some light at the end of the tunnel in this regard though, as from the 2024-2015 season as the senior player cap will jump back up to £6.4 million. Across a 40-man, that’s an extra £35,000 per man.
In the meantime, you expect more big-name transfers.
Comments on RugbyPass
Lots of discussion points, Ben, but two glaring follies IMO: 1. Blackadder at 6. Has done nothing so far this season to justify his selection. Did you see him going backwards in contact at the weekend? Simply has not got the physical presence at 6: we need a Scott Barrett or a Finau (or wildcard Ah Kuoi), beasts who are big enough to play lock, like Frizzell. If Barret played at 6, Paddy could be joined at lock by Vai’i or one of the young giants we need to promote, like Darry or Lord (if he ever gets on the field). Blackadder best left to join the queue for 7. 2. Not even a mention for Christie? Ratima gets caught at crucial times at the back of the ruck when he hesitates on the pass. The only way he starts would be if Christie and TJ are injured.
1 Go to commentsWhat a dagg in more ways than one
5 Go to commentsRegroup come back next year but sack some of the coaching team and don't be like the ABs last minute sacking. If Crusaders don't do well ABs don't do well.
5 Go to commentsProctor Definitely inform again this year had a hell of a season last year and this year is looking even better. Still mixed feelings about Ioane tho.
4 Go to commentsDagg is still trying to get enough headlines to make himself relevant enough to get a job. The Crusaders went back to square one at all levels. Shelve this season and nail the next one.
5 Go to commentsHe was in such great form. Sad for him but only a short term injury and it will be great to see him back for the finals.
1 Go to commentsAfter their 5/0 start, I had the Crusaders to finish Top 4 only…they lost the plot in Perth but will reload and back themselves vs 4th placed Rebels…
5 Go to commentsBoth nations missed a great opportunity to book a game that would have had a lot of interest from around the world. I understand these games can’t be organised in 5 minutes but they should have found a way to make it happen. I don’t think Wales are ducking anyone but it’s a bad look haha.
3 Go to commentsIt will be fascinating to see the effect that Jo Yapp has. If they can compete with Canada and give BFs a run for their money that will be progress
1 Go to commentsFollowing his dream and putting in the work. Go well young fella!
3 Go to commentsPerhaps filling Twickenham is one of Mitchell’s KPIs. I doubt whether both September matches will be at Twickenham on consecutive weekends. I would take the BF one to a large provincial stadium so as not to give them the advantage and experience of playing at Twickenham before a large crowd prior to the RWC.
3 Go to commentsvery unfortunate for Kitshoff, but big opportunity potentially for Nché to prove he is genuinely the best loosehead in the world, rather than just a specialist finisher. Presuming that if Kitshoff is out, it will also give Steenekamp a chance to come into the 23? Or are others likely to be ahead of him?
1 Go to commentsA long held question in popular culture asks if art imitates life or does the latter influence the former? Over this 6 nations I can ask the same question of the media influencing the thoughts of its audience or vice versa. Nobody wants to see cricket scores in rugby, as a spectacle it is not sustainable. With so many articles about England’s procession and lack of competition it feeds the epicaricacy of many looking for an opportunity to pounce. England are not the first team to dominate nor does it happen only in rugby, think Federer, Nadal, Red Bull or Mercedes, Manchester Utd, Australia in tests and World Cups. Instead of celebrating the achievements why find reasons to falsify it pointing towards larger playing pool, professional for a longer period or mitigate with the lack of growth in other nations. Can we not enjoy it while it is here and know that it won’t last for ever, others coveting what England have will soon take the crown, ask the aforementioned?
6 Go to commentsShame he won’t turn out for the Netherlands now they’re improving. U20s are Euro champs and in the U20 Trophy this year. The senior sides gets better every year too.
3 Go to commentsWill rugbypass tv be showing these games?
1 Go to commentsWell where do you start, the fact that England have a professional domestic league and Ireland’s is fully amatuer, that they have fully seperated professional squads at Fifteens and Sevens (7’s thinly disguised as GB), and Ireland have fully pro Sevens squad who loan some players back to the Semi-Professional Fifteens squad (moved from amateur for only a year or so) for a few games at 6N & RWC’s. The Women’s games is a shambles, and is at risk of killing itself by pushing for professionalism when the market isn’t really there to support it outside one or two countnries..
6 Go to commentsWayne Smith's input didn't have as much impact on the last final as Davison's red card for Thompson. England were 14 points up and flying when that happened.
6 Go to commentsBilly's been playing consistently well for 2 - 3 seasons now and deserves a look in at the top level. Ioane and ALB are still first choice but there needs to be injury cover and succession. His partnership with Jordie gives him first dibs you'd think. Go the Hurricanes.
4 Go to commentsIt’s not up to Wales to support Georgian Rugby. That’s up to International Rugby and Georgia. I sympathise with Georgia’s decent attempt to create this fixture. But for Wales the proposed match up is just a potential stick to beat them with and a potential big psychological blow that young Welsh team doesn’t need. (I’m Irish BTW.)
3 Go to commentsCale certainly looks great in space, but as you say, he has struggled in contact. At 23 years old, turning 24 this year, he should be close to full physical maturity and yet there exists a considerable gap in the power and physicality required for international rugby. Weight doesn’t automatically equate to power and physicality either. Can he go from a player who’s being physically dominated in Super rugby to physically dominating in international rugby in 1 or 2 years? That’s a big ask but he may end up being a late bloomer.
38 Go to comments