Salary-cap system beefed up

PREMIERSHIP RUGBY have reinforced their salarycap system in a bid to prevent more Saracens-style controversies. The London club were banished from the top flight in 2020 for past breaches and Leicester, their opponents in Saturday’s Premiership final, were also fined this season for previous infringements.

Now there are new, extensive, tough regulations in place following a review by Lord Myners and PRL are optimistic they will work. ‘The key element was to ensure appropriate sanctions are in place to deal with transgressions,’ said Andrew Rogers, PRL’s salary-cap director. ‘We’ve got really strong investigatory powers now but the deterrent is there so that if someone transgresses they can have trophies stripped or relegation. There are some serious sanctions.’ Rogers added: ‘We’re able to access a lot and the ability to look at tax returns, bank returns, mobile phones and emails is a real step forward.’ The cap has been reduced to £5million but will go back up to £6.4m from the 2024-25 season. Chief executive Simon Massie-Taylor added: ‘These new powers build credibility with the fans.’