YOUNG: WE NEED SALARY CAP RETHINK
IT’S THAT time of year when the English challenge in Europe fades in the face of overwhelming firepower and the thorny issue of the salary cap resurfaces. This time, Dai Young has sounded the annual alarm.
Wasps’ director of rugby could not have asked much more from his gallant side as they pushed Toulon all the way before losing their Champions Cup quarter-final at Stade Felix Mayol on Sunday. Yet, the scale of what they were up against was clear when Matt Giteau and Juan Fernandez Lobbe — two of the world’s finest players — came on as replacements for the hosts. A pair of Springboks, Bryan Habana and Juan Smith, were among a glittering nonplaying contingent.
Young quipped that the absence of Leigh Halfpenny from the Toulon ranks meant Wasps only had ‘about five worldclass full-backs to worry about’. The joke hinted at a more serious point; the personnel gulf between the wealthy French elite and their Premiership rivals.
The English clubs simply can’t compete when the leading Top 14 sides play to their potential, due to the disparity in budgets. Yet again, the salary cap — currently £5.5million — is back on the agenda.
‘There are pros and cons for everything,’ said Young. ‘The salary cap has worked; all the clubs have been sustainable for a long period, it’s the most competitive league in Europe and there have been two or three different title winners in the last few seasons, too.
‘It has also meant a lot of young English players are getting exposure at that level, so it has done what it was intended to do. But maybe we need a a re-think about how important Europe is to the English teams and how the salary cap leaves us when playing against the big French teams.
‘Realistically, Premiership teams need a bit of luck to arrive at these games with their best team fit. With the salary cap, there’s no way we can match the massive squads these clubs have.’
Wasps couldn’t match Toulon’s depth of playing resources, but they did trouble the holders thanks to the dynamic efforts of two young Englishmen — centre Elliot Daly and scrum-half Joe Simpson. Their electric running maintained the form Young believes should put them in contention for a place in England’s World Cup squad.
‘I don’t know what more they can do,’ said the Welshman. ‘If England want to win the World Cup, these are the type of players you have to get in your team.’