Salary cap exemptions - RU players : Sat Nov 02, 2013 12:35 pm  

Adam Pearson recently announced that Hull FC's new signing, Tom Biggs, from Bath rugby union doesn't count on the cap. Is there a limit to this or is all salary off cap?

And why haven't the "rich" clubs targeted RU players?

Re: Salary cap exemptions - RU players : Sat Nov 02, 2013 2:14 pm  

Doesn't exactly send a great message to any young RL player. Though signing some welsh RU players would be good for int RL!

Re: Salary cap exemptions - RU players : Sat Nov 02, 2013 2:17 pm  

they still have a big salary to pay for... i think the average union player earns closer to 100k than 50k and its a big risk.

Re: Salary cap exemptions - RU players : Sat Nov 02, 2013 2:24 pm  

dubairl wrote:

they still have a big salary to pay for... i think the average union player earns closer to 100k than 50k and its a big risk.

Would it not be a great coup for Salford to sign Eastmond/Farrell/Tomkins/Ashton?

Re: Salary cap exemptions - RU players : Sat Nov 02, 2013 2:36 pm  

Unless the rules have changed the exemption is for 19-23 year olds

E1:5:14‘New Talent Pool Players Allowance’
The intention behind this allowance is to remove any disincentive Clubs might feel in considering signing untried players from Rugby League development areas and/or other sports.

The RSCM will administer the allowance in pursuit of this intention in the event of any cases where there is a doubt as to whether the individual in question should qualify for an allowance.

An allowance against the calculation of a player’s Salary Cap Value is available under the provisions of this clause 5.14 as follows:

(a) a person who:
(i) has attained age 19 on 31st August prior to the start of the season (e.g. 31st August 2012 for the 2013 season),
(ii) has not attained age 23 on 31st August prior to the start of the season, and
(iii) has not played Rugby League at any age group or level, subject to the RSCM’s ability to use his reasonable discretion to override this restriction so that, non-exhaustively, it would ordinarily apply only to those who have not:
(a) played Rugby League for any participant club or team in a national 1st tier senior grade competition (including for example, the European Super League, UK Championships, any of the Australian NRL competitions, French Elite Championship, New Zealand’s national competitions),
(b) played for a team in a national Rugby League development competition (including non-exhaustively, the RFL’s Academy competitions and the NRL’s National Youth Competition), and/or
(c) participated in and/or played RFL Scholarship age group Rugby League (or any equivalent Rugby League programmes based in other countries not covered in (ii) (a) or (b) above)

shall, for the purposes of the allowance set out in this clause 5.13, be known as a ‘New Talent Pool Player’,

(b) subject to (c) below, where a Club registers a New Talent Pool Player, that player’s Salary Cap Value will be reduced in accordance with the following provisions:
(i) in respect of the period up to the end of the New Talent Pool Player’s first full Salary Cap Year with the Club, his Salary Cap Value will be reduced to £0 (and for the avoidance of doubt, where the New Talent Pool Player is registered on or after 1st February during a Salary Cap Year, that year will not count as the one full Salary Cap Year to which this allowance applies),
(ii) in respect of the period up to the end of the New Talent Pool Player’s second full Salary Cap Year, his Salary Cap Value will be reduced by 50%,

(c) the New Talent Pool Player allowance set out in (b) above is subject to the following conditions:
(i) Clubs are limited to 2 New Talent Pool Players to whom the New Talent Pool Players allowance can apply to at any time,
(ii) where a Club has more than 2 New Talent Pool Players registered, it may notify the RSCM as to which 2 of its New Talent Pool Players the allowance will apply,
(iii) for the avoidance of doubt, where a New Talent Pool Player moves to another Club the allowance is available to his new Club but shall not extend beyond the period it would have endured had he remained at his original Club.

Re: Salary cap exemptions - RU players : Sat Nov 02, 2013 2:39 pm  

Well Biggs is 29.

Re: Salary cap exemptions - RU players : Sat Nov 02, 2013 2:43 pm  

Sheldon wrote:

Well Biggs is 29.

Which is why I'm struggling to find how he doesn't count on the cap. Unless, as I said, if the rules have been changed. I hope they have, I don't see much benefit in choosing a 20 year old Union player over, say, a 25 year old Union player.

As for why other clubs don't do it, well it's still a risk. As mentioned they'll be on a decent wage in Union and you have to teach them how to play League.

Re: Salary cap exemptions - RU players : Sat Nov 02, 2013 2:49 pm  

Him wrote:

Which is why I'm struggling to find how he doesn't count on the cap. Unless, as I said, if the rules have been changed. I hope they have, I don't see much benefit in choosing a 20 year old Union player over, say, a 25 year old Union player.

As for why other clubs don't do it, well it's still a risk. As mentioned they'll be on a decent wage in Union and you have to teach them how to play League.

The 4 players mentioned could adapt to rl.

I'd also suggest that the publicity and media coverage would be pretty handy.

Re: Salary cap exemptions - RU players : Sat Nov 02, 2013 3:59 pm  

Sheldon wrote:

The 4 players mentioned could adapt to rl.

I'd also suggest that the publicity and media coverage would be pretty handy.

That's because 3 of them are RL players and the fourth was brought up in an RL environment.

Re: Salary cap exemptions - RU players : Sat Nov 02, 2013 4:16 pm  

Sheldon wrote:

The 4 players mentioned could adapt to rl.

I'd also suggest that the publicity and media coverage would be pretty handy.

I agree on the publicity and media side, which is why I'd favour the rules being changed to encourage it.
It's still a risk for a club though, putting a good chunk of money on a player unproven in this sport.