Scrum-halves are the worst paid

Fly-halves have held their status as the Premiership’s best-paid players, and scrumhalves have replaced hookers as the worst, according to the latest salary-cap report.

In the report’s third annual publication, which was a direct outcome of Lord Myners’ recommendations following the Saracens salary scandal, the figures for the 2022-23 season show a senior scrum-half’s average salary dropped from £132,590 to £121,104, perhaps in part due to Faf de Klerk’s departure from Sale. The average hooker’s salary, on the other hand, rose from £119,146 to £128,556. The average senior fly-half received £217,761 last season.

Behind hookers, locks had the second-best salary rise, from £164,568 to £174,785, with full-backs not far behind. The back row had the biggest percentage drop, from £181,624 to £159,467, but remained the fifth-bestpaid position overall. The average salary of a wing dropped from £142,901 to £127,969 and was one of just three positions, alongside hooker and scrum-half, to not feature a player earning more than £350,000.

Worcester Warriors, Wasps and London Irish were all omitted from the report following their respective insolvencies. In the case of players from Wasps or Worcester joining another Premiership club during the 2022-23 season, “for the purpose of analysis, the salary received at the new club has been adjusted to give a full season value”.

This season, clubs have been permitted only one excluded player from the cap but in 2022-23 six teams possessed two, while three clubs had one and a solitary club possessed none. The average salary of a player excluded from the cap was £510,005 but the report noted that five of those excluded players were not in the top 15 earners across the Premiership.

In addition to an annual audit of all 10 clubs carried out by PWC, the winner of the Premiership final is subject to an extended audit. The report commends champions Saracens, “on their approach, support and full compliance”.

At least half of Saracens’ senior players, including at least half of their best paid, had to provide tax returns and bank statements for the previous two years as well as image-rights company tax returns and company bank statements.