Damning verdict but will things change?

LORD MYNERS has pulled no punches with the clubs and Premiership Rugby. English club rugby is certainly in his debt. However, the important thing now is whether anything will change. His recommendations will need at least ten of the 13 votes at Premiership board level to be passed and he is adamant that clubs should not be allowed to cherry-pick. His stark message seems to be: Either implement my report in full or find another system altogether. He is right. English club rugby is at a crossroads and this will kick off a huge debate. Myners has examined a chaotic salary cap and player-loan system that was both poorly managed and open to interpretation and abuse by clubs. And, ultimately, self-policing was always a ridiculous state of affairs. It is not a pretty picture and it probably needed somebody from outside the game to deliver a few home truths. The headline recommendation is for stronger, statutory disciplinary measures for clubs in clear breach of the salary cap. These would include relegation, the stripping of titles and repayment of prize money. I wouldn’t disagree, but such serious measures should only be brought in if the salary cap is fit for purpose, rigorously scrutinised and independently assessed. That is your starting point. There was much else in the report, but the tone of it was also interesting. At one point, it commented that if the clubs and Premiership Rugby understand the spirit of the regulations, ‘they will have no need to employ expensive legal advice on how to comply with them’. That is a clear hint that English club rugby, in these difficult times, needs to buy into an agreed system and demonstrate the collective camaraderie for which the game used to be known.