'That'll give the s**ts to all the teams that spend lots of money'
Edinburgh boss Richard Cockerill has called for the Guinness PRO14 to introduce a salary cap to help clubs cope with the impact of the coronavirus crisis and make it a more competitive league. A new campaign kicks off this weekend under a cloud of uncertainty with only the first eight rounds of fixtures confirmed and no South African teams taking part until at least 2021, if at all.
The leading Irish, Welsh, Scottish and Italian sides will all lose huge swathes of players to national duty after the first two rounds for an extended seven-week Test period where resources will be stretched to the limit at many clubs.
With recruitment largely on hold given the financial plight affecting all the home unions, Cockerill believes it is time for the PRO14 – which Leinster have won for the last three years and five of the last eight – to follow the example of England’s Gallagher Premiership and the French Top 14.
“We don’t have relegation so if there’s no battle at the top and bottom, we have to make the league a little more interesting from that point of view,” said the former England hooker.
“We want all sides to be competitive and when you look at the resources and the way things are going with Covid, maybe it’s time for a PRO14 salary cap, like the Premiership and French league, so everyone’s playing off the same budget. Then it’s about recruitment and coaching, bringing young guys through and being very selective in the number of players you can pick rather than just teams with more money having bigger squads.”
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Wrapping up the night, it's the big one.
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— Edinburgh Rugby (@EdinburghRugby) September 29, 2020
The English Premiership has operated a basic £7m salary cap for the last three seasons while the Top 14 is poised to reduce its current £10.3m (€11.3m) cap to £9.1m (€9.94m) from 2021 because of the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
Cockerill admits bringing in a similar policy for the PRO14 would have to be phased in over at least two or three seasons to allow for player contracts already in place. “With the current climate with Covid, and given the teams that have the most money are generally the most successful, then maybe that’s something worth looking at – making it a £6.5million or £7million salary cap to even up the playing field,” he said.
“It was brought in to open up the Premiership. Generally, the best-run teams are the ones who are in the mix year in, year out. I’m not hard and fast on it but in the situation we’re going through right now, it’s certainly worth having a look at.
“I know that’ll give the s**ts to all the teams that spend lots of money and might help some of us that don’t spend lots of money, but maybe my agenda is different from the Leinsters, Munsters and Ulsters of this world.”
Cockerill expects to lose at least twelve players to Scotland duty next month and several more to Fiji, although influential No8 Bill Mata will not be available to club or country after being ruled out for up to eight weeks with a damaged ankle ligament.
With no budget currently to bring in extra cover, Edinburgh – who finished top of Conference B last season but lost to Ulster in the semi-finals – will be forced to give youngsters and players from Scotland’s semi-professional Super6 set-up game-time over the coming months.
Cockerill is philosophical about the challenges ahead, given the potentially catastrophic consequences for the whole sport of an extended period without fans in stadiums. “There is a threat to professional rugby worldwide, never mind just Scotland,” he added.
? Guinness PRO14 Fixtures 2020/21 ?
Full schedule ?#GuinnessPRO14 | #Fixtures2021 pic.twitter.com/fzIjodrvJL
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“If you’re not producing any money then you’re not going to have a professional game, so it’s obviously a concern at the back of everyone’s mind, players and coaches. We’ve just got to keep doing our jobs and putting a good product on the field.
“If we get to the Six Nations and there is no crowd then it is clearly going to be an issue and then we have to readjust what we do and who gets paid what and who does what. It won’t be unique to me and this team, it will be the same for us all, unfortunately.”
In that context, Cockerill was sanguine about a PRO14 fixtures schedule that will see Edinburgh play on four successive Monday nights through November, potentially depriving him of some players returning from Scotland duty. “The Test matches will happen on Saturday and I’m sure most Test squads will want their whole squad to train on Mondays and Tuesdays, so I don’t think anyone is really sure how that is going to work,” he added.
“But if PRO14 are telling us that Premier Sports think Monday night is the best TV slot, and that’s the way to create more revenue, well, once you’ve sold your soul, you’ve sold your soul. You get told what to do – it is no different to any other sport.”
This Leinster side deserved a flashier denouement to their unbeaten campaign but their dominance of the PRO14 isn't necessarily a negative, argues @heagneyl ???https://t.co/jRnY80TkpY
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) September 13, 2020
Comments on RugbyPass
In the 70s and 80s my club ran 5 Senior sides plus a Vets. Now it is 2 sides with an occasional 3rd team. Players have difficulty getitng to training now, not sure why and the commitment is not there. It seems to me more a problem of people applying themselves and not expecting to turn up and play whenever they want to.
5 Go to commentsROG’s contract is until 2027. The conversation about a successor to Galthie after RWC 2027 may be starting now. We can infer that Galthie’s reign stops then. He is throwing the Irish Coaching Job angle in because he is Irish. The next Irish coach MUST be Leo Cullen. As well as being the best coach available, coaching the vast majority of Irish Internationals week in week out, he has shown incredible skill at recruiting the best coaching staff for the job in hand. That was a failing in France. Cullen is a shrewd guy and if there is a need for foreign coaches underneath him he won’t hesitate. Rightly so. Ireland does need to start to bring Irish coaches through. Not just at the professional level but we need to train coaches to man new pathways for developing kids from schools/clubs up through the divisions.
6 Go to commentsNo Islam says it must rule where it stands Thus it is to be deleted from this planet Earth
18 Go to commentsThis team probably does not beat the ABs sadly Not sure if BPA will be available given his signing for Force but has to enter consideration. Very strong possibility of getting schooled by the AB props. Advantage AB. Rodda/Skelton would be a tasty locking combination - would love to see how they get on. Advantage Wallabies. Backrow a risk of getting out hustled and outmuscled by ABs. Will be interesting to see if the Blues feast on the Reds this weekend the way they did the Brumbies we are in big trouble at the breakdown. Great energy, running and defence but goalkicking/general kicking/passing quality in the halves bothers me enormously. SA may have won the World Cup for a lot of the tournament without a recognised goalkicker but Pollard in the final made a difference IMO. Injuries and retirements leave AB stocks a bit lighter but still stronger. 12 and 13 ABs shade it (Barret > Paisami, Ione = Ikitau, arguably) Interesting clash of styles on the wings - Corey Toole running around Caleb Clark and Caleb running over the top of Toole. Reece vs Koro probably the reverse. Pretty even IMO. 15s Kelleway = Love See advantage to ABs man for man, but we are not obviously getting slaughtered anywhere which makes a nice change. Think talent wise we are pretty even and if our cohesion and teamwork is better than the ABs then its just about doable.
11 Go to commentsCompletely agree. More friday night games would be a hit. RFU to make sure every club has a floodlit pitch. Club opens again Saturday to welcome touch / tag. Minis and youths on Sunday
5 Go to comments1.97m and 105Kg? Proportionately, probably skinnier than me at 1.82 and 82kilos. He won’t survive against the big guys at that weight.
55 Go to commentsThe value he brought to the crusaders as an assistant was equal to what he got out of being there. He reflected not only on the team culture but also the credit he attributed to the rugby community. Such experience shouldn’t be overlooked.
6 Go to commentsGood luck Aussie
11 Go to commentssmith at 9 / mounga 10 / laumape 12 / fainganuku 14
54 Go to commentsBar the injuries, it’s pretty much their top team …
2 Go to commentsDon’t disagree with much of this but it appears you forgot Rodda and Beale, who started at the Force on the weekend.
11 Go to commentsExcept for the injured Zach Gallagher this would be Saders best forward pack for the season. Blackadder needs to stay at 7, for all of Christies tackling he is not dominant and offers very little else. McNicholfullback is maybe a good option, Fihaki not really upto it, there was a reason Burke played there last year. Maybe Havilli to 2nd five McLeod to wing. Need a strong winger on 1 side to compliment Reece
1 Go to commentsTo me TJ is clearly the best 9 in the competition right now but he's also a proven player off the bench, there's few playmaking players who can come off the bench as calm and settled as he is, Beauden can, TJ can and I doubt any of the scrumhalves in contention can, if they want to experiment with new 9s I want him on the bench ready to step in if they crumble under the pressure. The Boks put their best front row on the bench, I'd like to see us take a similar approach, the Hurricanes have been doing similar things with players like Kirifi.
54 Go to commentsROG has better chance to win a WC if he starts training and make himself eligible as a player. He won’t make the Ireland squad but I reckon he may get close with Namibia (needs to improve his Afrikaans) or Portugal. Both sides had 1000:1 odds to win the RWC in 2023 which is an improvement on ROG’s odds of winning a RWC as a coach. Unlike Top 14 teams, national teams can’t go shopping and buy the best players - you work with the available talent pool and turn them into world beaters.
6 Go to commentsthat backline nope that backline is terrible why would you have sevu Reece when he’s not even top 5 wingers in the comp why have Blackadder when there’s better players no Scott barret isn’t an automatic the guy is more of a liability than anything why have him there when you have samipeni who’s far far better
54 Go to commentsAh, good to find you Nick. Agree with everything about Cale. So much to like about his game
55 Go to commentsNot too bad. Questions at 6, lock and HB for me. The ABs will be a lot stronger once Jordan and Roigard return. Also, work needs to be made to secure Frizzell back for next season and maybe also Mo’unga; they’re just wasting time playing in japan
54 Go to commentsOn the title, i wonder for many of those people it is a case something like a belief in working smarter, not harder?
1 Go to commentsForget Sotutu. One of those whose top level is Super Rugby. Id take a punt on Wallace Sititi Finau ahead of Glass body Blackadder.
54 Go to commentsI’m a pensioner so I've been around a bit. My opinion of SBW is he is an elite athlete and a great New Zealander and roll model. He has been to the top and knows what he's talking about. To all the negative comments regarding SBW the typical New Zealand way, cut that tall poppy down.
18 Go to comments