Premiership Rugby’s original article is here which contains a link to the full report.

In December 2019, following the announcement and subsequent punishment of Saracens for a significant breach of the Premiership Salary Cap, Lord Myners CBE was commissioned to write a report on the state of that same Salary Cap. What follows here is a review of that report, where I have tried to avoid commentary on the wider situation rugby finds itself in. This was the first point in my life I had heard of Myners - an impressive character who first trained as a teacher, before a successful career managing money in the City of London and finally moving into politics where he now sits as a cross-bencher (not aligned with a party) in the House of Lords.

The report comes in at 55 pages, which is longer than what you will get from even the most in-depth sports coverage. And while this report could not be described as anything other than in-depth, Myners uses clear and simple language throughout. This is a distinct contrast from legal texts in general. Section 1.4, Love of the Game, outlines Myners’ objectives to create a document which can be read by those who enjoy the game at all levels, not merely those who govern and profit from it. In my opinion, he succeeds.

In order to lay out the full context in which he is making recommendations for the future of the salary cap, Myners provides a history of the salary cap in English rugby and compares it to salary caps in other sports around the world. This section alone is valuable, especially for someone such as myself who has only known the game as having a professional element at the top of the pyramid. It situates the game in the wider sporting world, where rugby remains a relatively small player, and explains the motivation for, and progression of, the salary cap.

Building on this foundation, Myners lays out his recommendations for the future of the salary cap. Made forcefully and persuasively, it seems to me that any competent organisation would implement them in full without hesitation. This section is indeed long and dry in parts. However, the fact that Myners takes care to explain the reasoning behind each recommendation provides an incredibly useful resource. Recent comparisons between the use of replays for refereeing in football and rugby have highlighted the skill of rugby’s referees in conveying their reasoning to the public. People who are interested want to know what is going on! Myners makes it clear at several points that transparency is key for building trust with the fans who ultimately fund this sport. As such, he emphasises transparency in the report itself, allowing us to hold future decision makers to account.

In addition to talking with Directors and CEOs of the Premiership and its teams, coaches and players, Myners reached out to “ordinary supporters” during the consultation period for this report. A level of empathy with those far from rugby’s upper echelons pervades the report. One gets the feeling that Myners must have some direct experience within the game, although looking back through the report he only mentions watching matches with a friend who expressed admiration for the respect found in players and supporters in rugby. Regardless, Myners has produced a report which provides a clear path for the future of professional rugby in England. In doing so, he has shone a bright light on the elite game for those of us who watch it from afar.