Exeter were one of 3 teams to make a profit last year!
We are in a better position than has been suggested on this thread mostly off the back of careful buying, expensive tickets (with fans willing to pay for them) and a successful corporate wing rather than a sugar daddy.
With the way the league is set up we have an inbuilt financial disadvantage (no P shares, and reduced hope of them with Bris current position as well as previously financing a stadium with
constantly moving urinals).
That having been said we are in a rugby hotspot with no near premiership competition (Gloucester are as close to Scotland as the far end of Cornwall) so I see no reason why we cant be in a similar place to Northampton and Leicester in a number of years.
On the salary cap issue I'm against removing it, not because it would damage Exeter, and I dont think it would for the reasons given above, but because it would damage English rugby. Money seems to have a strange effect on sport and its rarely for the better.
In general I'm in favour of a free market but there have to be some checks and balances (look at the news every day to see what happens if there aren't) and I'm not sure that vested interests in Premier Rugby and HQ wouldn't triumph. Also we all want to see rugby getting good grass roots across the country, I'm really glad Sale are up and I'm very disappointed Newcastle are in trouble. I would rather have a spread than having clusters of 4 London orbital, 4 west midlands (yes that includes Bath, Bristol and Gloucester) and 2 east midlands clubs dominating.
On a positive note there is a 7 point difference between Northampton in 3rd and Glaws in 8th at the moment so every point matters and that to me makes it exciting to watch!
