Salary Caps

First topic message reminder :

Following a chat about the Leinster v Bath game, some of the Irish lads seemed to think Bath were short on cash. We are owned by one of the richest blokes in the UK, at £999m net worth, but obviously limited by the cap. Then it struck me that although I knew the Aviva regs, I didn't have a clue about the HEC, or Rabo Direct. Can someone help me out?

But you have to wonder sometimes about the scouting.
Teams struggle for so long trying to sort out props and looking at pacific islanders and NZers. The safer bets have been south african to an extent but where is the English/Irish/Welsh raiding of eastern europe. French packs always have a grizzly georgian or romanian hanging around, probably for not crazy money if spotted early but we never go that route.

Tigers have been smart to pick up a handy back player out of the Leinster production line (Geordan, Johne, Morris) who play schools/underage in structure that helps backs to develop their running lines. Other Jeff sides don't seem to try/succeed in picking up these guys.

I'd think that if you are looking at the marquee international leader, you are too late to the dance. Leinster snapped up Felipe fairly early in his career looking back and it did wonders. He didn't cost us what Stade are now paying. Munster have taken in the Halsteads-Tupoki-Howletts that seemed to have in some cases 'attitude issues' but that set up is designed get people focused and adopting that Munster ethos. Are the best signings really where a player feels slighted where he is, gets shunned from international selection and gets the chip on his shoulder?

LondonTiger wrote:
I believe that teams that provide more England players should get a higher payout from the RFU and should be allowed a higher cap.
.

Careful what you wish for LT, the Leicester mafia are losing their power at the RFU and we may start to see players from other teams picked!... What's that horse's head doing next to me

Bathite, I can understand your thoughts on Moody, but one thing he will bring to the squad is a winning mentality. It may not have imbedded yet, but it will yield dividends with your younger players.

The French situation may not be viable. I don't see how the current cap can perform it's intended function. There are maybe four clubs there that could have budgets approaching the current salary cap and most others are deep in debt trying to compete. (Remember Stade Francais last year) The whole point of a salary cap is to keep the domestic league competitive and not have it dominated by three or four sides. I thought that was what it was for anyway. So from this point of view the French salary cap achieves nothing.

From what I remember the professional game in Ireland costs the IRFU €25 million for all four sides. That's for everything though, not just salaries. There is a tax incentive that also helps to keep players in Ireland. You can check out the IRFU's budget online I'm sure. I seem to remember some stipulation that salaries for foreign players have to be from money raised by the clubs but I could be wrong.

I was surprised that Leicester have the biggest following. I always thought the French clubs were better supported.

The best signings ...PROVE themselves. You can't scientifically plan a procedure or a pattern of getting the best overseas players in, who haven't yet proved themselves or have proved themselves difficult, and get them at a bargain price ...and because of all the pre-planning and graphs and charts, that player works out a dream.

Every signing is risk and hope. There is no blueprint. But there are SIDES that seem better able to make any player work above or to his best. I think the secret of good foreign signings can often be laid at the feet of the club/region/province's own standards, expectations and ethos.

beshocked, im agreeing with you again, sigh. we have apparently been in for the likes of Hodgson, PDJ, Vunipola and Kitchener and you are right, we lost out, so the players we got instead were not as great. Those players chose those clubs partly because of their success, but partly down to the club ethod and facitilites. We are starting to get the facilitiies in order and that should be a real pull, hopefully showing the ambition to sign the England Captain and Geech should also raise the profile and entice players. I can see why the club got both of those two in, lets hope it works, but right now, it seems the success bit is lacking.

Bathite what's wrong with agreeing with me?

At least you'll have Moody all the time now. Is Geechan performing though?

I think at Bath you need to forget the HC. I wouldn't put a full strength side against Leinster. Focus on the AP. Qualify for the HC next season and push for top 4 should be your goal.

The difficulty is as you say Bath's bargaining power. What can you offer a potential player?

As others say you should be smart with recruitment.

Just pulling your leg fella! Most fans aren't happy with Geech at all and neither am I. I was a big Meehan fan, think his signings were better, his rugby was better to watch, just as we started to gain momentum, we had the drug scandal and it all fell apart from there unfortunately. Losing 3 key players, 2 of which are club captains would set any squad back.

I think your right, but push for top 4 should be the minimum goal every year, it has been achieved most years in the last 6, people seem to have forgotten that.

Careful what you wish for LT, the Leicester mafia are losing their power at the RFU and we may start to see players from other teams picked!... What's that horse's head doing next to me

Well we wouldn't mind that. This season our best available team is;

Ayerza, Chuter, Cole/Castro
Deacon, Parling
Croft, Salvi, Waldrom
Youngs, Flood
Twelvetrees, Manu (Allen is injured)
Tuilagi, Agulla, Murphy

For the 6N if the EPS remains the same we'll have;

Ayerza, Chuter, Brookes/White
Parling, Skivington
Mafi, Salvi, Slater
Harrison, Staunton
Twelvetrees, Smith (unless Allen is back)
Tuilagi, Agulla, Murphy

A bit of change to give us back the likes of Deacon and Waldrom would just be lovely. Though I sense call ups for Parling and possibley Twelvetrees as well.

formerly known as Sam wrote:

Careful what you wish for LT, the Leicester mafia are losing their power at the RFU and we may start to see players from other teams picked!... What's that horse's head doing next to me

Well we wouldn't mind that. This season our best available team is;

Ayerza, Chuter, Cole/Castro
Deacon, Parling
Croft, Salvi, Waldrom
Youngs, Flood
Twelvetrees, Manu (Allen is injured)
Tuilagi, Agulla, Murphy

For the 6N if the EPS remains the same we'll have;

Ayerza, Chuter, Brookes/White
Parling, Skivington
Mafi, Salvi, Slater
Harrison, Staunton
Twelvetrees, Smith (unless Allen is back)
Tuilagi, Agulla, Murphy

A bit of change to give us back the likes of Deacon and Waldrom would just be lovely. Though I sense call ups for Parling and possibley Twelvetrees as well.

Blooming Woodward was touting Cockerill as a potential England coach too!

Sheesh! Hands of RFU, they aren't half thieving buggers when it comes to the East Midlands. Seems Stains and Tigers get done over all the time at the minute when the internationals are on.