Edinburgh boss seeks salary cap

EDINBURGH head coach Richard Cockerill says the financial problems caused by Covid-19 make it the perfect time to consider bringing in a Guinness Pro14 salary cap. The Englishman admits his plan would not go down well with the big-spending Irish provinces, like Leinster, but feels changes must be made as he fears for the future of the game. ‘I think there is a threat to professional rugby worldwide, never mind just Scotland,’ said Cockerill. ‘If you are not producing any money, you are not going to have a professional game. ‘If we get to the Six Nations (in 2021) and there is no crowd, then it is going to be an issue and then we have to readjust what we do, and who gets paid what. It will be the same for us all.’ While Cockerill knows it is too late to introduce a salary cap this season as the Pro14 starts at the weekend, he has called on senior figures in the governing body to discuss it. ‘When you look at resources and the way things are going with Covid-19, maybe it’s time for a Pro14 salary cap, like the Premiership and the French, so everyone’s playing off the same budget. Maybe it’s time to even up the playing field and look at salary caps, bring young guys through and be selective in the amount of players you can pick. ‘You’d have to phase it in over a season or two or three because everyone’s got contractual obligations but, given the current climate, it’s something worth looking at. ‘Around a £7million cap to even up the playing field. I know it’ll irritate all the teams that have lots of money.’ Meanwhile, the South African Rugby Union (SARU) have voted to change their representation in the Pro14. The Bulls, Lions, Sharks and Stormers will all join, with the only question being when. The two South African teams currently in the Pro14 have both withdrawn this season — the Southern Kings went bankrupt, with the Cheetahs pulled out by the SARU and put into a domestic league. The new clubs will join the league from the turn of the year if Covid-19 travel restrictions are ended. If that doesn’t happen, they will start afresh in the 2021/2022 season, making it the Pro16.