The reason why London Irish couldn't convince Rob Simmons to stay
Declan Kidney has bemoaned the financial imbalance that ultimately made it impossible for London Irish to keep hold of ex-Wallabies lock Rob Simmons. The soon-to-be 34-year-old was unveiled as a new Clermont signing last Monday on a two-year deal through to the summer of 2025.
English rugby has financially been under the cosh in recent times, the reduced salary cap restricting the level of funding clubs are able to spend on their squads. However, Kidney suggested that the cap drop to £5million per squad and the reduction from two to one marquee players sitting outside that budget wasn’t the reason they lost out on Simmons.
Instead, he explained that the different taxation systems at play in the UK and France was the decisive difference in Simmons deciding his future after the completion of the 2022/23 season was best served in the Top 14 rather than remain in the Gallagher Premiership with his three-year deal set to expire.
Salaries in excess of £150,000 in England are taxed at 45 per cent whereas, in France, Simmons would be considered non-resident, which means that rather than paying 49 per cent tax on earnings above €160,000, his tax rate would be just 30 per cent.
“The biggest difference really is the tax system,” explained Kidney when asked why London Irish had lost out to a French club in their effort to keep Simmons in the Premiership.
"… there will be a time that will really sink in but it probably hasn’t sunk in yet" @londonirish lock Rob Simmons is at peace with his decision to leave Australia, the land he still loves, writes @heagneyl ???https://t.co/4aho14WIOz
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) December 4, 2022
“There is just a different tax system for sportspeople in France and that gives them a decided advantage when it comes to recruiting players. I wouldn’t like to go into the area of tax expert, but over there it would be about half that [what it is in England].”
Simmons has been one of the best value-for-money recruits ever at London Irish, the 102-time Australian international playing 62 times so far for the club since joining in 2020 from the Super Rugby Waratahs. His near ever-presence is the characteristic that has most impressed Kidney.
“The consistency of it is the standout feature. He is that reliable player in your squad. The fact that he has over 50 games is a fair achievement. He came to us with over 100 international caps and he has now got over 50 London Irish caps in what is a relatively short stint. Not many players manage to get that number and you know the way they do it in cricket, I wonder how many first-class games he has played in his career to date?”
It adds to up a very impressive total of 320 first-class games when Simmons’ 156 Super Rugby appearances for the Waratahs and the Reds are factored in. No wonder he has wielded such great influence in the London Irish dressing room.
“Leading by example, showing how much is within a player’s own control to get right, not looking to say my way is the right way but by just his consistency of performance, his consistency of preparation, his consistency of approach to it and yet being able to enjoy himself at the same time – it showed players here that you can do both,” enthused Kidney when asked what legacy the Australian will leave at the club.
“That is a huge skill for younger players to learn – they have to learn how to be good at their job and for me it is also important that they learn how to be good at their job and enjoy that at the same time. Some lads try so hard to do their job they get so serious, and they get tied up in knots. In Rob’s case, he can show you can be right in the middle of the intensity of it and then just have a bit of a craic then too.”
Comments on RugbyPass
The rugby championship would be even stronger with Fiji in it… I know it doesen’t fit the long term plans of NZ or Aus but you are robbing a whole nation of being able to see their best players play for Fiji…. Every second player in NZ and AUS teams has Fijian surnames… shame on you!!! World rugby won’t step in either as France and England has now also joined in…. I guess where money is involved it will always be the poor countries missing out….
76 Go to commentsNo surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
2 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
1 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
9 Go to comments9 Brumbies! What a joke! The best performing team in Oz! Ditch Skelton for Swain or Neville. Ryan Lonergan ahead of McDermott any day! Best selection bolter is Toole … amazing player
12 Go to commentsI like this, but ultimately rugby already has enough trophies. Trying to make more games “consequential" might prove to be a fools errand, although this is a less bad idea than some others. Minor quibble with the title of the article; it isn’t very meaningful to say the boks are the unofficial world champions when it would be functionally impossible for the Raeburn trophy not to be held by the world champions. There’s a period of a few months every 4 years when there is no “unofficial” world champion, and the Raeburn trophy is held by the actual world champions.
9 Go to commentsIts a great idea but one that I dont think will have a lot of traction. It will depend on the prestige that they each hold but if you can do that it would be great. When Japan beat the Boks (my team) I was absolutely devestated but I wont deny the great game they played that day. We were outclassed and it was one of the best games of rugby I have seen. Using an idea like this you might just give the the underdog teams more of an opportunity to beat the big teams and I can absolutely see it being a brilliant display of rugby. They beat us because they planned for that game. It was a great moment for Japan. This way we can remove the 4 year wait and give teams something to aim for outside of World Cup years.
9 Go to commentsHi, Dave here. Happy to answer questions 🥰
9 Go to commentsDon’t think that headline is accurate. It’s great to see Aus doing better but I’m not sure they’ve shown much threat to the top of the table. They shouldn’t be inflating wins against the lousy Highlanders and Crusaders either.
3 Go to commentsSuch a shame Roigard and Aumua picked up long term injuries, probably the two form players in the comp. Also, pretty sure Clarke Dermody isn’t their coach. Got it half right though.
3 Go to commentsOh the Aussie media, they never learn. At least Andrew Kellaway is like “Woah, yeah it’s great, but settle down there guys” having endured years of the Aussie media, fans, and often their players getting ahead of themselves only to fall flat on their faces. Have the “We'll win the Bledisloe for sure this year!” headlines started yet? It’s simple to see what’s going on. The Aussie teams are settled, they didn't lose any of their major players overseas. The Crusaders and Chiefs lost key experienced All Blacks, and Razor in the Crusaders case, and clearly neither are anywhere near as strong as last year (The Canes and Blues would probably be 3rd & 4th if they were). The Highlanders are annually average, even more so post-Aaron Smith and a big squad clean out. The two teams at the top? The two nz sides with largely the same settled roster as last year, except Ardie Savea for the Canes. They’ve both got far better coaches now too. If the Aussies are going to win the title, this is the year the kiwi sides will be weakest, so they better take their chance.
3 Go to commentsThe World Cup has to be the gold standard, line in the sand. 113 teams compete for what is the opportunity to make the pool stages, and then the knockout games for the trophy. The concept is sound. This must have been the rationale when the World Cup was created, surely? But I’m all for Looking forward and finding new ways for the SH to dominate the NH into the future. The autumn series needs a change up. Let’s start by having the NH teams come south every odd year for the Autumn/Spring series games?
9 Go to commentsWhat’ll happen when the AI models of the future go back in time and try to destroy the AI models of the past standing in their way of certain victory?
41 Go to commentsThanks, Nick. We (Seanny Maloney, Brett and I) just discussed Charlie as a potential Wallaby No 8, and wondered if he has truly realised how big he is in contact (and whether he can add 5 kg w/o slowing down). Your scouting report confirms our suspicions he has the materiel. No one knows if he has the mentality (as Johann van Graan said this week about CJ, Duane and Alfie B) to carry 10-15 times a game.
57 Go to commentsHe would be a great player for the Stormers, Dobbo should approach the guy.
3 Go to commentsGood article. A few years back when he was playing for the Cheetahs, he was a quiet standout for exactly the seasons stated here. I occasionally get to see his games in the UK, and he has become a more complete player and in many ways like an Irish player. His work ethic is so suitable to the Leinster game. I wonder if Rassie would have him listed somewhere.
3 Go to commentsResults probably skewed by the fact that a few clubs have foreign fly halves in their 30s, but most teams have young English scrum halves. Results also likely to be skewed by the fact that many teams rely on centres and fullbacks to provide depth at 10, whereas they will need to stock a large number of specialist backup 9s.
2 Go to commentsI really get the sense that when all is said and done, the path of least resistance will end up being a merger of Wasps & Worcester that essentially kills the Worcester Warriors brand and sees Wasps permanently playing at Sixways. I’m not saying that’s what should happen or what I want to happen. I just think it’s the easiest rout to take and therefore, will be what happens. Wasps will definitely return to play first, and I suppose it all depends on if they can find support at Sixways. If people turn up and support Wasps in that community, at that ground, I bet they drop the Sevenoaks plan and just remain at Sixways. Under the radar but not totally unrelated, it looks as though London Irish are going to be brought back from the dead by a German consortium and look set to return, likely to the remade Championship. It’s set to have 12 clubs next season with 14 in 2025/26, what do you want to bet those extra 2 are Wasps and London Irish?
3 Go to commentsThe shoulder is a “joint” with multiple bones. You don’t “fracture” a shoulder, you fracture any one or more of the bones that make up a shoulder.
2 Go to commentsOh dear, bones too suspect to continue?
2 Go to comments