I COULDN'T agree more with Chris Taylor's concerns (TRP Feb 21) at the distorting effect on community rugby of the lack of constraints on clubs and their moneymen seeking to buy success by ramping up player payments.
Unfortunately, his belief that there are rules in place to allow such actions to be restricted is unfounded.
The only English league that has a salary cap is, in fact, the Premiership.
National Leagues and below are subject only to salary “thresholds”, which can simply be opted out of by wealthy clubs that don't need the financial support available from the RFU by way of travel subsidies and funding for capital projects.
To be fair, not all clubs that have pumped money into player pay have done so to the neglect of social, junior and women's rugby, though many have – with the kind of corrosive effect on the community game in general, to which Chris refers.
Moves within the National Leagues for pay limits to be reduced and penalties for breaches to be toughened have, unfortunately, been voted down by a majority of clubs supporting the status quo, clearly unwilling to give up the competitive advantage which their money gives their (1st) teams.
Unless and until, therefore, proper grassroots clubs, dependent on their local communities for volunteers and funding, become much more assertive and band together to lobby for the current situation to be changed, it is highly unlikely that anything will happen.
