Aviva Premiership

Premiership salary cap to increase

ESPN Staff

Could the additional funding help Saracens secure Adam Jones? © Getty Images Enlarge

Aviva Premiership clubs are set to benefit from a 10% rise in the salary cap.

The Independent on Sunday says teams will have an additional £500,000 to play with next term on top of the existing £5.2m as the money from their broadcasting deal with BT Sport starts to kick in.

The news comes in a week when the French clubs signed a monster new television deal which is only going to increase their spending power. The powers that be in the Premiership fear the additional money over the Channel could see more of the country's top stars swapping the Premiership for the Top 14.

Toby Flood will play for Toulouse next season and Harlequins chief Conor O'Shea predicts more will follow in the aftermath of the 2015 World Cup.

"Where the challenge for us [in England] will be is post-World Cup 2015 when players come out of contract," O'Shea told the newspaper. "There will be England players for whom the chequebook will come out, and it'll be so much money that they will go. It is becoming harder and harder, and the market value of players is naturally going up.

"England's policy of only picking players overseas in exceptional circumstances is a help - the people who want to play for their country will stay - but I've no doubt there will be those who go for the lifestyle change."

And according to The Rugby Paper, Saracens are already planning how to spend that funding having offered British & Irish Lions tight-head Adam Jones £300,000 to swap Wales for the Premiership.

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