'Real step forward': Premiership publishes 20/21 salary cap report
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New Premiership Rugby CEO Simon Massie-Taylor has insisted that the strengthened salary cap is fit for purpose now that the league’s salary cap department has stronger investigatory powers in place to monitor the financial accounting of its clubs who face stronger deterrents than before if they break the rules.
Established in 1999, the salary cap framework underwent crucial changes followed the caustic fallout after defending Premiership champions Saracens were automatically relegated to the Championship for repeated breaches of the salary cap.
A 2020 report written by Lord Paul Myners, the late former cabinet minister, and commissioned by Premiership Rugby emphasised the need for greater transparency about how the salary cap operated and officials have now published the salary cap report into the 2020/21 season, the first since the powers of investigation and the list of punishments were strengthened.
This public publication of the annual salary cap report is a first for the tournament and its officials intend to make it an annual event in an effort to enhance the league’s credibility. The findings don’t reveal the wage bills of specific clubs or the salaries of specific players, instead offering an overview of general player wages across the Premiership.
A total of £94,722,353 was collectively spent by the 13 clubs in the senior salary cap for 2020/21 (Saracens were included despite playing in the Championship) while £4,143,756 was spent under the collective academy salary cap.
“The salary cap is continuously kept under review to ensure it is fit for purpose and it is proportionate and meets its legitimate objectives and that is something we do on an ongoing basis… we do our best to ensure that it is legally supported,” explained Massie-Taylor, who became Premiership Rugby CEO in October 2021.
“The key element was actually the recommendations around ensuring there are appropriate sanctions in place to deal with any transgressions, so we have got really strong investigatory powers now in place to monitor things but equally the deterrent is there to ensure that if someone does transgress the powers are there. They can have trophies stripped, there is relegation. There are some serious, serious sanctions that deal with any serious transgression.
“The salary cap is hugely important because the league’s USP is its competitiveness and the salary cap is a brilliant mechanism in order to try and preserve competitiveness and you want to make sure that mechanism is as effective as possible.
“I do think these new powers that came through the review are really important. For example, the finalists being subject to an extended audit is an effective tool to answer lingering questions. It is things like that are important to build credibility with the fans.
“The main point we are trying to get across with the report is transparency, that we are here to share the data and make it open to the public. I’m sure fans will be interested in the relative (salary) value of the different positions and also some of the data around the different stages of careers. There is lots of information here and some natural questions that will come out of it.”
Salary cap director Andrew Rogers is tasked with ensuring everything runs smoothly and that clubs stay within the regulations. “The role is to make sure everyone is confident in the system that we have in place and the team here are doing the best job possible and believes and trusts in the system,” he said.
“I can’t give any club a clean bill of health because there is a window we always work but what I can say, particularly now with the new system, is all the clubs have been very open and transparent with me in managing their squads each season and that has been really positive.
“When Lord Myners did his review he looked at all the other sporting systems that had investigatory and enforcement powers and effective sanctioning and we made sure this competition would have the very best to ensure we can do as much as we can.
“We are obviously not law enforcement but we are able to access a lot and the ability to look at tax returns and bank statements and also mobile phone devices and emails is a real step forward.”
The additional workload, which now includes an extra forensic audit of whichever team is crowned the champions at the end of a season, has seen Rogers given more staff. “There are three of us now, it was one. I’m very pleased I have got two extra people now helping me. It makes a big difference.
“With the annual audit we do at least three players at each club for their tax returns and then for the extended audit, the champions, we do half of their playing squad, we look at tax returns and bank statements over a period of time. It is more extensive.
“We have just completed that with Harlequins for last year so that covers a real detailed forensic assessment that goes into club officials’ emails and phone messages as well as player bank statements, tax returns for over half the squad so it is a very detailed piece of work that we now have undertaken this year and will continue to do so going forward.”
It was earlier this year when the salary cap made headlines with an investigation into Leicester over third-party payments to the image rights companies of players from 2016/17 to 2020/21. The Tigers were ordered to pay £309,841.06 in fines and taxes.
“We are always looking at things,” continued Rogers. “That case, in particular, was a quick process due to the co-operation from the club. That leak in December through to its conclusion in March was quick in terms of sporting investigations and conclusion of things.”
- Click here to read the full 20-page 2020/21 Premiership Rugby salary cap report
Comments on RugbyPass
I bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
19 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
7 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
19 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
9 Go to commentsYes Sir! Surprising, just like Fraser would also have escaped sanction if he was a few inches lower, even if it was by accident that he missed! Has there really been talk about those sanctions or is this just sensational journalism? I stopped reading, so might have missed any notations.
9 Go to commentsAI is only as good as the information put in, the nuances of the sport, what you see out the corner of the eye, how you sum up in a split second the situation, yes the AI is a tool but will not help win games, more likely contribute to a loss, Rugby Players are not robots, all AI can do if offer a solution not the solution. AI will effect many sports, help train better golfers etc.
45 Go to commentsIt couldn’t have been Ryan Crotty. He wasn’t selected in either World Cup side - they chose Money Bill instead. And Money Bill only cared about himself, and that manager he had, not the team.
28 Go to commentsYawn 🥱 nobody would give a hoot about this new trophy. End of the day we just have to beat Ireland and NZ this year then they can finally shut up 🤐
19 Go to commentsTalking bout Ryan Crotty? Heard Crotty say in a interview once that SBW doesen't care about the team . He went on to say that whenever they lost a big game, SBW would be happy as if nothing happened, according to him someone who cares would look down.. Personally I think Crotty is in the wrong, not for feeling gutted but for expecting others 2 be like him… I have been a bad loser forever as it matters so much to me but good on you SBW for being able to see the bigger picture….
28 Go to commentsThis sounds like a WWE idea so Americans can also get excited about rugby, RUGBY NEEDS A INTERNATIONAL CALENDER .. The rugby Championship and Six Nations can be held at same time, top 3 of six nations and top 3 of Rugby championship (6 nations should include Georgia AND another qualifying country while Fiji, Japan and Samoa/Tonga qualifier should make out 6 Southern teams).. Scrap June internationals and year end tours. Have a Elite top six Cup and the Bottom 6 in a secondary comp….
19 Go to commentsThe 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….
90 Go to commentsNo surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
4 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
9 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
19 Go to comments