Statement issued after Harlequins bust salary cap

Harlequins have overrun their salary cap, but have not done so deliberately.

In a statement, Premiership Rugby confirmed that the West London club overran their Salary Cap limit for the 2017-18 season by £12,479. In accordance with the Regulations the Club will pay 50p per £1, being £6,239.50.

“There is no suggestion that the overrun was deliberate and this should therefore not be referred to as a breach of the Salary Cap regulations,” said a Premiership Rugby spokesperson.

"Before the annual audit of the salary spend at all of our clubs, Harlequins reported to us that they had exceeded their Salary Cap limit in the 2017-18 season due to a systems error and that has now been addressed. An overrun is factored into the Regulations.”

Within the Premiership Rugby Salary Cap Regulations the Overrun tax shall be set at the following values:

Level of Overrun

£0 to £49,999.99 £0.50 for every £1 overspend

£50,000 to £199,999.99 £1 for every £1 overspend

Over £200,000 £3 for every £1 overspend

The Salary Cap for the 2017-18 season was £6.4 million plus £600,000 Home Grown Player Credits, with two players able to be excluded from the Cap.