Last season’s Premiership saw the highest-paid players, while hookers were paid on average the lowest.
Premiership Rugby has published a report about player salaries for the 2020-2021 seasons in an attempt to improve transparency after the Saracens salary cap scandal.
The report shows number 10s were on average paid £175,000 a year, with hookers earning about £113,000.
The average player income last season was a little under £144,000 a year.
While the salary cap last season was £6.4m per club, this figure has come down to £5m for the next few years “as a necessity for Covid recovery”, according to Premiership Rugby.
The highest paid forwards in 2020-2021 were second rows, at an average of £158,600, while scrum-halves were the lowest paid backs on an average of just under £118,000.
“It’s generally similar [to previous years]Andrew Rogers, director of the salary cap, said “Yes,”
“There has been a shift in supply and demand, especially around scrum-halves. We have seen this over the past five years. It has changed quite a bit.
“But full-backs or fly-halves are usually the highest-paid backs, with locks or props there.
The average salary for fly-halves was bumped up by 13% of number 10s being paid more than £400,000, but not a single winger or hooker was paid more than £350,000.
Report an important step
The former minister to the government Lord Myners conducted a thorough review of the salary cap following the Saracens scandal.
This increased the power of the salary cap director as well as a greater emphasis on openness. All clubs are subject to an annually audit and the Harlequins, 2021 Premiership winners, are subject to an extended audit of all their accounts to ensure that the salary cap is in compliance.
The winner of Saturday’s final between Saracens & Leicester will be asked to open their books for a criminal investigation.
Simon Massie Taylor (CEO Premiership Rugby) stated, “The publication is an important step in terms transparency and declaring more details about what goes with the salary cap.”
Rogers stated, “The goal is to give everyone more confidence in the system. Particularly with this extended audit which we have done with Harlequins for the first time.”
“The winner of this year’s contest will be subject to an extensive audit that includes a forensic analysis through emails, phone records and tax returns.
Rogers believes that Rogers’ new regulations will prevent another Saracens scenario, which could have a devastating effect on the integrity of the entire salary cap system.
“There was frustration [in the past] Rogers said that although we knew what was up, we could not always prove it.”
“We can now do a much larger process, which is very good.”
