‘WITHOUT THE PLAYERS THERE IS NO GAME’
them anyway, and when the £1.4million salary cap slash was voted through on Monday — as revealed by MailOnline three days ago and belatedly confirmed yesterday — without formal consultation with the players, their anger hit boiling point.
It is understood several clubs have told their players if they do not sign an inferior contract by June 18 they will be sacked.
This has caused fury at the RPA who in a statement yesterday said the players and their clubs were ‘heading towards a significant legal dispute,’ which Sportsmail has learned could involve hundreds of players — possibly double figures at each club. Talking exclusively to
Sportsmail, RPA chairman and Harlequins prop Mark Lambert (right) said: ‘There has been no formal consultation with us as the representative body of the players, and now it seems there’s an effort to circumvent the RPA altogether, go to individuals and pressurise them into signing deals that are favourable to the club.
‘In the face of the lack of respect we’re being shown I don’t think it’s ever been more important for players to stay united and speak with one voice. Understandably there are a lot of angry players in the country.
‘Many signed up to temporary pay cuts making a decision to support their club based on conversations around loyalty, faith, goodwill and “we’re all in this together”.
‘Many now feel that loyalty is being used against them.
‘We acknowledge there will be adjustments but without the players there is no game. ‘The pressures of coronavirus hitting the whole game has revealed there’s a substantial number of people in decision-making positions who don’t feel it’s necessary to consult players on huge material changes to the future of the sport. It’s concerning.’ The RPA are not yet suggesting a strike, but expect legal challenges as the clubs have breached players’ contracts with cuts.
‘If clubs have voted to create a system they have to work to fit within it,’ said Lambert on PRL’s decision to lower the salary cap to £5m from 2021.
‘ It shouldn’t just be telling players they have to immediately earn less. A huge amount of our members are not wealthy and substantial pay cuts have very meaningful impacts on them being able to support families and pay mortgages.’