Northern Edition
Select Edition
Northern Northern
Southern Southern
Global Global
New Zealand New Zealand
France France

New Premiership salary cap report names best, worst paid positions

Saracens' Owen Farrell (Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)

Fly-half is the best-paid position in the Gallagher Premiership, with scrum-half the least remunerated role according to the latest salary cap report published by Premiership Rugby.

ADVERTISEMENT

The document, which covers the 2022/23 season, is the third annual report to be publicly published by the English league’s administrators.

The 46-page report also highlighted that squad sizes increased from 69 to 76 players last season even though it was the second season in which the league operated under a cap reduced to £5million.

Video Spacer

Nemani Nadolo on his peak and once being considered “too big”

Video Player is loading.
Current Time 0:00
Duration 3:20
Loaded: 5.00%
Stream Type LIVE
Remaining Time 3:20
 
1x
    • Chapters
    • descriptions off, selected
    • captions off, selected
    • en (Main), selected
    Video Spacer

    Nemani Nadolo on his peak and once being considered “too big”

    Former Fijian winger Nemani Nadolo chats to Liam Heagney about when he reached his peak and how he was actually at one stage considered too big to play rugby.

    In his introduction, salary cap director Andrew Rogers wrote: “This third annual report performs a key role in ensuring the effective management of a salary cap system.

    “This report focuses on player market data that comes from the annual salary cap Audits, but it also covers how the salary cap is managed to support compliance across the Gallagher Premiership rugby clubs.

    Related

    “Following the inaugural report for 2020/21, we can now provide further insights with comparison data across three seasons (2020-21, 2021-22 and 2022-23). For the second consecutive season, the salary cap level in 2022/23 was £5m (down from £6.4m in 2020/21).

    “Whilst the existing contract discount provision remained for players who signed contracts with their clubs prior to June 18, 2020, fewer players were eligible for this and therefore remained under the salary cap. Clubs saw their average cash spend decrease in 2022/23 compared to 2021/22.

    ADVERTISEMENT

    “Following the administration of Wasps, Worcester Warriors, and London Irish during the 2022/23 salary cap year, annual salary cap audits were undertaken at 10 clubs for 2022/23. Therefore, figures for 2020/21 and 2021/22 include data from 13 clubs, but 2022/23 includes 10 clubs.

    “In the case of players from Wasps and Worcester Warriors who joined another Premiership Club during the 2022/23 season, for the purpose of analysis in this report, the salary received at the new club has been adjusted to give a full season value.

    “The overall (senior and academy) average squad sizes increased from 69 to 76. This change occurred with an increase in the senior salary cap squad from 45 to 47 and an increase in the academy salary cap squad from 24 to 29.

    “Fly-half remains the highest-paid position with an average income of £217,761 (up from £217,153). Scrum-half was the lowest, with an average income of £121,104 (down from £132,590).

    ADVERTISEMENT

    “Players with over 50 Test caps still deliver the highest income levels and the average income of players with over 50 Test caps has increased to £361,051 (up from £339,481 in 2021/22).

    “In terms of competitive balance, which is one of the objectives of the salary cap, Gallagher Premiership Rugby continued to grow. Across the last six seasons, 85 per cent of teams have reached the top four.

    “Compared to our European counterparts, Premiership Rugby had the highest percentage of close games (43 per cent) and the highest average number of tries per game (7.02). Premiership Rugby also compares favourably with other sporting competitions in terms of competitiveness.”

    • Click here to read the entire salary cap annual report for 2022/23
    ADVERTISEMENT

    South Africa v Argentina | World Rugby U20 Championship | Extended Highlights

    France v New Zealand | World Rugby U20 Championship | Extended Highlights

    England v Wales | World Rugby U20 Championship | Extended Highlights

    Tattoos & Rugby: Why are tattoos so popular with sportspeople? | Amber Schonert | Rugby Rising Locker Room Season 2

    Lions Share | Episode 3

    Zimbabwe vs Kenya | Rugby Africa Cup Semi Final | Full Match Replay

    USA vs Spain | Men's International | Full Match Replay

    Portugal vs Ireland | Men's International | Full Match Replay

    Trending on RugbyPass

    Comments

    4 Comments
    J
    JD Kiwi 447 days ago

    No surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂

    f
    fl 447 days ago

    What if they are not mates?

    f
    fl 448 days ago

    Results probably skewed by the fact that a few clubs have foreign fly halves in their 30s, but most teams have young English scrum halves.


    Results also likely to be skewed by the fact that many teams rely on centres and fullbacks to provide depth at 10, whereas they will need to stock a large number of specialist backup 9s.

    Load More Comments

    Join free and tell us what you really think!

    Sign up for free
    ADVERTISEMENT

    Latest Features

    Comments on RugbyPass

    D
    DarstedlyDan 1 hour ago
    New Zealanders may not understand, but in France Test rugby is the 'B movie'

    Italy have a top 14 issue too, that’s true. I doubt SA are overly pleased by that, although it’s countered somewhat by the fact they would expect to thrash them anyway, so perhaps are not that bothered.


    The BIL teams are (aside from Ireland) A/B teams - still with many A team players. I would rather the England team touring Argentina be playing the ABs than this French one.


    France could have reduced the complaints and the grounds for such if they had still picked the best team from those eligible/available. But they haven’t even done that. This, plus the playing of silly b@ggers with team selection over the three tests is just a big middle finger to the ABs and the NZ rugby public.


    One of the key reasons this is an issue is the revenue sharing one. Home teams keep the ticket revenues. If the July tours are devalued to development larks then the crowds will not show up (why go watch teams featuring names you’ve never heard of?). This costs the SH unions. The NH unions on the other hand get the advantage of bums on seats from full strength SH teams touring in November. If the NH doesn’t want to play ball by touring full strength, then pay up and share gate receipts. That would be fair, and would reduce the grounds for complaint from the south. This has been suggested, but the NH unions want their cake and eat it too. And now, apparently, we are not even allowed to complain about it?


    Finally - no one is expecting France to do things the way NZ or SA do. We oddly don’t really mind that it probably makes them less successful at RWC than they would otherwise have been. But a bit of willingness to find a solution other than “lump it, we’re French” would go a looonnng way.

    79 Go to comments
    TRENDING
    TRENDING Southern hemisphere heavyweights to contest World Rugby U20s final Southern hemisphere heavyweights to contest World Rugby U20s final