Not hard to believe at all IMO. So many of our squad are on their first pro contracts. How many of our squad are going to be on substantial cash? Slade, Gray (who is marquee), Sio… who else? Pretty sure Tshiunza and Jenkins are still on very low/academy kinda money.
Under the cap enough to raise their salary next season and still be under the cap.
It's going up by 2 mil anyway isn't it? Obviously we'll have some resignings to make which will increase a few salaries but we could well be £3+ million under the cap next season.
Rumour that Grey is off(somewhere) meaning a marquee is free, Slade to go into it? I wouldnt be agaonst a big name signing at 10, skinner is good but im not sold. Weve often signed big name scrumhalves so who knows.
People on Twatter now playing the English granny (or whoever) card; it seems no-one really knows.
I'd believe it if they're stating that's under the maximum salary cap of £6.4m (what you can spend with incentives and exclusions) but it's hard to believe they would be £1.8m below the £5m cap. A lot of the savings will get eaten up quickly by players coming off academy contracts.
From everything I've seen, he considers himself to be Welsh and given he was developed by the Welsh system, I'd prefer he sticks with them.
Precisely.
It's also, in turn, set social media off with every other nation under the sun slagging off England for poaching
How many 'poached' players did we have in our RWC squad? I can only think of Ribbans. Billy Vunipola and Bevan Rodd were eligible for other nations but were unquestionably developed by English clubs. Even if they are included, come the 6 Nations, it may be 0.
It's not a myth at all, sure it's a niche sport but you have tens of millions of people. You have, when I last looked, almost 400k registered players to say Wales' 80 odd thousand. You can say how many of those 400k are elite but then you can say the same for the 80 thousand Wales players. Richest union. Fact. Top 3 registered players in world. Fact. Best infrastructure. Private schools etc etc. but the thing that is most important is that England is a very rich country with a plethora of opportunities off the rugby pitch which naturally attracts lots of immigrants both on this isle and abroad so you're naturally going to reap the benefit of this just on the lucky basis your country is rich but it's alright for England but these other smaller nations are stooping to low level just for trying to even the playing field a bit. Its a bit rich if you ask me. Its akin to someone who's on £1k pm who usually shops at Asda but has a Waitrose voucher so goes into the shop but then Waitrose shoppers are all like "look at this peasant trying to mix it with us doesn't he know his place theres fruit and veg at Asda you know" your view would not see any development of any kid given to poorer smaller nations and would just see the continual growth of the big boys and you Scotlands, Wales', Italy's etc etc can **** off.
I don't think you can put a limit on development. For example, even if you're born and raised in England you might of been raised by a semi pro or/ex pro rugby player from another country who puts in lots of 1 on 1 time into that kids development that will go a much longer way to seeing that kid potentially make it further down the line but that might have noting to do with mini club he goes to in England and the coaches there. Or alternatively you might go through a 2 year spell somewhere that really sees your development improve and that could be down to an individual or whatever no an academy or club.
