Premiership salary cap special report, part two: Your club's squad-building strategy revealed
The Premiership salary cap special report is part two. The seven remaining clubs are facing tough decisions.
Henry Arundell, Will Joseph and Adam Coleman are the main back-three players at Irish. Ben Loader, Ollie Hassell-Collins and Tom Parton are out of contract at the end of the upcoming season. Api Ratuniyarawa, now 36, opted for Irish because he was offered a longer deal than he had at Northampton Saints. Rory Jennings is the deputy No 10 at fly-half. So’otala Fa‘aso”o has arrived from Brive. Danilo Fischetti, Luca Morisi and Joe Powell are established Italy internationals. Ed Scragg and Josh Caulfield have been signed from Cornish Pirates. Curtis Rona has attracted interest in Australia.
Newcastle have no player excluded from the salary cap. Newcastle have been successful in the Premiership and qualified for the play-offs in 2018. Will Haydon-Wood joined Wasps, Mike Brown’s contract was allowed to expire, Joel Hodgson and Luther Burrell left, Josh Basham returned to London Irish, Rob Farrar and Will Montgomery went to Massy, Marco Fuser went back to French third tier. Matías Moroni has been Newcastle”s eye-catching addition from Leicester Tigers.
Dan Biggar and Courtney Lawes were excluded from Northampton's squad. The club signed 19 players on multi-year deals. Tommy Freeman and Juarno Augustus are in line for contract extensions. 42 players have come through the Northamptonsian academy to the senior ranks. The academy has produced Josh Weru, Jake Garside, Tom Litchfield and George Hendy. Aaron Hinkley and Alfie Petch are also in the academy. Lukhan Salakaia-Loto is a 30-cap Wallaby who is capable of covering for Lawe.
George Ford earns around £550,000 per year at Sale. Alex Sanderson bought Alex Groves and Dominic Barrow from Bristol. Joe Simpson and Jason Woodward will be useful and motivated arrivals from Gloucester. Jack Metcalf's switch to Ealing Trailfinders was not easy to stomach. Faf de Klerk and Lood de Jager are trading for Japanese sides. Manu Tuilagi is an obvious candidate to replace them. He is more likely to earn credits for England appearances. His contract is up in 2023. The centre could be offered a lucrative deal in France or Japan after the World Cup.
Tim Swinson is retiring in 2021. Hugh Tizard was signed from Harlequins. Mako Vunipola settled for reduced terms to keep alive his England prospects. Christian Judge embarks on a second stint at the club after periods with Bath and Worcester. Eduardo Bello of Argentina joins Italy international Marco Riccioni. Sam Wainwright was captured from RGC in North Wales. Jamie George, Alex Goode, Elliot Daly, Max Malins and Ben Earl are out of contract at end of the season. If their Covid contracts are not renewed, Saracens will have less space for 2023-24.
Wasps lost a lot of players this summer. They also had financial issues. Leicester Tigers pounced on John Ryan and Vincent Koch. They have also signed Burger Odendaal and Kiran McDonald. Joe Launchbury is a possible exception. Alfie Barbeary, Dan Robson and Tom Willis are out of contract next year. Will Haydon-Wood joins the squad. The club has some financial problems. It has used its contacts in the Championship to find players. There are also some important renewals to land. For more information on the salary cap, visit the Premiership salary report.
Steve Diamond has brought seven new players to Worcester. Around 15 senior players left the club. Duhan van der Merwe is the only player excluded. The club is struggling financially. Diamond is allowed to spend up to the salary cap. He has tapped into the Premiership trends of recruitment. Fin Smith, Owen Williams and Billy Searle are the fly-halves. Valery Morozov, Curtis Langdon and Cameron Neild are forwards. Fin is out of contract this summer.
