Premiership salary cap: Treatment 'unacceptable' over cutting salary cap, says Rugby Players' Association
The RPA calling for "meaningful dialogue with PRL" as it remains "opposed to permanent cuts for members"; Top-flight club owners have agreed to bring down the salary cap by £1m
Wednesday 10 June 2020 19:43, UK
The Rugby Players' Association has warned a "significant legal dispute" could occur over Premiership Rugby clubs calling for a reduction in the league's salary cap for forthcoming seasons.
Top-flight club owners have agreed to reduce the league's salary cap from £7m to £6m for the 2021/22 season with the reduction expected to be in place until the end of the 2023/24 campaign, but this decision still needs ratification from Premiership Rugby.
The number of 'marquee' players, whose salaries do not count towards the overall cap figure, will also be reduced from two to one from the 2022-23 campaign.
These moves are designed to relieve some financial pressure placed on the clubs as a result of the disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
It follows a unanimous approval from all teams last week regarding an overhaul of the salary cap, coming after a review last year which looked into Saracens' breaches that saw the club relegated to the Championship, docked 105 points and fined £5.36m.
In March, a number of clubs including Gloucester, Harlequins, Leicester Tigers, Saracens, Sale Sharks, Wasps and Worcester asked their staff to take 25 per cent pay cuts due to the financial uncertainty caused by COVID-19.
In a statement released on Wednesday, chairman of the RPA Mark Lambert said: "Most of the players have already had temporary 25 per cent pay cuts since March and April as a result of the unprecedented financial challenges exposed by COVID-19.
"PRL has been seeking agreement to reduce players' wages permanently by 25 per cent across all PRL clubs. This was unanimously rejected by the Players' Board.
"The RPA has been working diligently over the last 12 weeks to seek to avoid a repeat of the damaging situation the game found itself in when the clubs imposed temporary wage cuts on a unilateral basis in mid-March.
"This latest situation could have been entirely avoided with a collaborative and transparent approach and we now find ourselves heading towards a significant legal dispute unless meaningful and genuine dialogue takes place urgently.
"In the meantime, the RPA position remains unequivocal: the RPA is opposed to permanent cuts for our members.
"From the outset of this crisis there has been an absolute disregard for the players and the values of the game.
"Players at some clubs are now being served with ultimatums and being put under undue pressure to sign amended contracts through the manufactured deadline of June 18.
"To be clear, this is a totally unacceptable way to operate. Players are the lifeblood of the game and should be treated with respect.
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"Players should not engage with this approach. The RPA will continue to fight for our members throughout this crisis."
Top-flight games have been suspended since April 8, following an initial five-week hiatus forced by coronavirus.
Earlier in June, Premiership and Championship sides were given the green light to resume "small group" training, while adhering to public health guidelines and hygiene protocols.
A structure for how the remaining fixtures will be played is yet to be announced, but a targeted date for the resumption of Premiership Rugby action has been confirmed as Saturday, August 15.
Exeter Chiefs currently hold a five-point lead over second-placed Sale Sharks in the league table - with the leaders having registered 45 points from the 13 rounds of matches played.
Newcastle will be promoted from the second-tier for the next campaign, with divisions below the Premiership now having concluded their 2019/20 campaigns.
