No Easy Games in Aviva Premiership thread 2015/2016

Daily Mail (the bastion of fairness in this world :pac:) also discussing it with reference to Tuilagi a fortnight ago

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/rugbyunion/article-3237045/Manu-Tuilagi-subject-400-000-bid-Saracens-riled-Leicester-Tigers-asked-questions-salary-cap-ruling.html

irishbucsfan

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-union/34508938

Bristol's quest for the Premiership continues with the hiring for Steve Borthwick (of recent Japan glory) as forwards coach.

irishbucsfan

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-union/34508938

Bristol's quest for the Premiership continues with the hiring for Steve Borthwick (of recent Japan glory) as forwards coach.

Redgirl82

Some players to watch this weekend

Brendan Macken starts for Wasps and Jimmy Gopperth starting at 10
JJ Hanrahan on bench for Northampton

irishbucsfan

And Donncha O'Callaghan and Niall Annett for Worcester.

Paddy McAllister for Gloucester. Quite a few more I'm sure.

irishbucsfan

And Donncha O'Callaghan and Niall Annett for Worcester.

Paddy McAllister for Gloucester. Quite a few more I'm sure.

Teferi

Bucsfan you're a double-posting fiend at the moment!

Redgirl82

Teferi wrote: »

Bucsfan you're a double-posting fiend at the moment!

Boards at the moment seems to like to double post a lot...not sure why but it does it every so often for me as well....I just go back and delete

total former

Peter Stringer on the bench for Sale, with Chris Cusiter starting.

Great to see the Sharks embracing youth...

And we move to more mainstream sources for Salary Cap issues

Independent - http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/rugby/rugby-union/club-rugby/aviva-premiership-preview-expect-an-embarrassment-of-riches-and-continued-claims-of-salary-cap-a6696131.html

And we move to more mainstream sources for Salary Cap issues

Independent - http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/rugby/rugby-union/club-rugby/aviva-premiership-preview-expect-an-embarrassment-of-riches-and-continued-claims-of-salary-cap-a6696131.html

irishbucsfan

I expect we might actually get some new information from the press now that England's interest in world cup has been lessened.

Digifriendly

Donncha O'Callaghan's debut for Worcester is FTA on Freeview Ch 59 (BT Showcase) tonight from 7.00pm.

https://twitter.com/owenslot/status/657246563547389954

breaking news from the Premiership re salary cap investigation, which has been completed, and "appropriate confidential settlements" made

Sorted so. Nothing to see here.

sydneybound

Breaking news...

Salary cap next year will be £6.5million

.... While the season after it will be £7million

This excludes two marquee signings. So their squad budgets could be closer to £8million.

English clubs will have serious money at their disposal now if they are willing to spend it.

irishbucsfan

I was hoping we'd see more on the offenses/punishments in the breakdown this week (the guardian's weekly) but no luck. We're still waiting to hear what the offenses were, let alone what the punishments were. We could be waiting a while...

The increase in the salary cap was always on the cards after the BT deal was signed. This will actually be the first time that the Premiership's cap exceeds the Top 14's as far as I'm aware. The DNACG cap is 10 million euro although I'd imagine we'll also see that increase. 10 million euro is still nominally more but the marquee players are worth a lot.

irishbucsfan

But Premiership Rugby said in a statement on Thursday: "Over the last few months, there has been speculation, much of it significantly inaccurate, concerning investigations into clubs. "During that time, Premiership Rugby has not commented in view of the confidentiality obligations in the Regulations. "Premiership Rugby can confirm that certain issues were pursued last season with some clubs relating to access to information, and to commercial contracts where there were differences of opinion as to the correct inclusion or not in the salary cap spend. "The issues were not straightforward and were subject to differing legal opinion and consequent risk as to any judgment on the correct interpretation. "Premiership Rugby and the clubs have now resolved the issues identified and have entered into appropriate confidential settlements."

https://twitter.com/brianmoore666/status/657326360977911808

http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/sport/rugbyunion/article4593891.ece

Wasn't Wasps - http://sport.bt.com/rugby-union-hub/rugby-union/wasps-owner-derek-richardson-denies-salary-cap-settlement-with-premiership-rugby-S11364012572697

http://www.gloucestercitizen.co.uk/Gloucester-benefit-funding-Premiership-Rugby/story-28040512-detail/story.html

"It's important to stress that not only have there been no breaches but we regret that over the past six to nine months supporters have not had clarity during this time when it comes to certain issues being looked at on the salary cap," McCafferty said.

Sure thing Mark!

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2015/oct/22/premiership-rugby-mike-mccafferty-rfu

We have reached a settlement which is a commercial agreement between two parties which does what it says, settles differences.

irishbucsfan

https://twitter.com/goatteeboy/status/657656545828872192

It's what I'd suggested earlier on, a matter of payment in kind or other alternative payments and then arguments about whether they count or not towards the cap. Just comes down to poor legislation if that's the case, by all accounts the French make that sort of thing almost impossible to get around so hopefully they look towards how they handle similar things.

The only way they could make investigations open would be if they also made all salaries and cap figures public. They do that in the NFL so it'd be an option but I believe the players' union is hugely opposed to that.

irishbucsfan

https://twitter.com/AlexCorbs/status/657659927717134336

Let's hope the pressure will tell soon and we'll get a proper statement from PRL. If they don't disclose properly there are individual clubs who will.

Interested Observer

Do many (any?) of these clubs make money as it stands? If not hiking the salary cap seems fairly irresponsible

Think the Irish sides can forget about it in Europe once this all kicks in.

irishbucsfan

Interested Observer wrote: »

Do many (any?) of these clubs make money as it stands? If not hiking the salary cap seems fairly irresponsible

Think the Irish sides can forget about it in Europe once this all kicks in.

Most of them are fairly stable (Saracens have a LOT of debt but seem happy enough with it), the reason they're increasing the salary cap is because of the reportedly huge amount of extra money they're making from the renewed BT tv deal. That all gets evenly distributed amongst the clubs, apart from clubs that aren't full members like LW in the past, so raising the cap in line with that makes sense.

Sale also come out to say that they are not one of the teams..

Then there were 10 (though 9 really as Worcester are hardly likely to be included!)
Club
1 Saracens
2 Leicester Tigers
3 Exeter Chiefs
4 Northampton Saints
5 Gloucester
6 Harlequins
7 Wasps
8 Bath
9 Sale Sharks
10 Worcester Warriors
11 Newcastle Falcons
12 London Irish

RobbieRuns

London Irish to play a premiership game in New York.............. interesting.

Lots talking about the US market, fair play if they are taking a gamble. Need to improve the team tho.

irishbucsfan

Deleted User wrote: »

Sale also come out to say that they are not one of the teams..

Then there were 10 (though 9 really as Worcester are hardly likely to be included!)
Club
1 Saracens
2 Leicester Tigers
3 Exeter Chiefs
4 Northampton Saints
5 Gloucester
6 Harlequins
7 Wasps
8 Bath
9 Sale Sharks
10 Worcester Warriors
11 Newcastle Falcons
12 London Irish

Brian Moore interviewed Quentin Smith on his podcast there the other night (well worth a listen online, certainly didn't go easy on him) and suggested that the clubs themselves will come out with the information... That would be hugely entertaining!

Premiership rugby have to disclose this. They have a big year of negotiations ahead of them and having the clubs against them is the last thing they need.

thomond2006

I'm sure pressure will be applied by sponsors as well. Shady sports bodies are the flavour of the month (or year!).

Redgirl82

thomond2006 wrote: »

I'm sure pressure will be applied by sponsors as well. Shady sports bodies are the flavour of the month (or year!).

There is interview with Quentin Smith(Chairman of Premiership) and Brian Moore available via his podcasts. Anything Moore asks Quentin just says he is bound by confidentiality.

Bath, Saracens & Northampton are the names mentioned but he would not deny or confirm.

Also says it is very grey matters and nothing is black or white.

It is very funny interview and really shows the attitude of Premiership management....

aimee1

http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/rugby-union/34650809

JDV to leicester tigers

CatFromHue

JDV and Manu Tuilagi in the same team.........the club doctors will have their hands full :P

Deleted User

Deleted User wrote: »

Sale also come out to say that they are not one of the teams..

Then there were 10 (though 9 really as Worcester are hardly likely to be included!)
Club
1 Saracens
2 Leicester Tigers
3 Exeter Chiefs
4 Northampton Saints
5 Gloucester
6 Harlequins
7 Wasps
8 Bath
9 Sale Sharks
10 Worcester Warriors
11 Newcastle Falcons
12 London Irish

http://www.therugbypaper.co.uk/latest-news/24259/sale-newcastle-and-worcester-follow-wasps-in-salary-cap-row/

Newcastle and Worcester join in...

Exeter next?

Here's Quentin Smith on Talksport with Brian Moore
http://talksport.com/rugby-union/quentin-smith-premiership-rugbys-salary-cap-investigation-151025171836