Aviva Premiership

Premiership Rugby revamps salary cap policing

ESPN Staff

The teams in the Premiership will face a new method of investigation into any potential salary cap breaches © Getty Images Enlarge

The modernisation of the salary cap Oh the salary cap, one of the most derided and criticised aspects of the Aviva Premiership is getting a facelift and not before time. Mark Cueto's comments last week regarding teams cheating the cap was a worrying development. Long have clubs hinted at such occurrences but those suggestions have seldom come from players.

The cap divides opinion the league over. There are some who feel it restricts teams in the Premiership and prevents them from catching up those over the Channel who have a larger pool of resources at their disposal while for others, who are normally towards the foot of the table, the cap keeps them within touching distance of those dining at the top table.

Regardless of perceptions, any attempt to ensure everyone is adhering to the rules is a good thing. But whether the whistle-blowers hotline which has been set up is taken seriously or not - it surely is wide open for prank calls - remains to be seen.

Tom Hamilton

Premiership Rugby (PRL) has moved to shore up its policing of the salary cap by introducing "a new, more transparent, monitoring and investigation system".

The news comes days after Sale winger Mark Cueto suggested teams were finding a way around the salary cap and that it was "blatantly obvious" some sides in the Aviva Premiership were spending more than the £4.26m restrictions.

Following Tuesday's announcement, PRL can now delve into club's finances using "independent experts" if they suspect a team of breaking the confines of the salary cap. This will work alongside their annual salary cap audit.

If teams are suspected of breaking the cap, they will be hauled in by PRL and will be "subject to a confidential disciplinary hearing with the sanction of both a points deduction and fine available. Any breach and the sanction will be made public."

This disciplinary process will be run by a company named Sport Resolutions UK. At present the salary cap stands at £4.26m but teams are allowed marquee player who is excluded from the cap. They are also given £240,000 worth of academy credits and leeway for one injury replacement.

And PRL's rugby director Phil Winstanley has reiterated the importance of the salary cap. He said: "It was inevitable that as the game develops we would conduct a review of the salary cap.

"The introduction in football of UEFA's Financial Fair Play and the Premier League clubs' new financial regulations, together with salary caps in rugby league, county cricket, and in rugby union with France's Top 14 and the Welsh Regions, all demonstrating how European sport has recently grasped the importance of controlling costs and long-term financial sustainability."

In addition to the new measures, PRL has also set up a hotline for anyone who wishes to present information relating to a breach of salary cap - salarycap@premiershiprugby.com or call 07583 826343.

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