Premiership Rugby have fined Bath over international window breach

Bath Rugby have today been fined £60,000 after admitting breaching Premiership Rugby Board policies.

Bath Rugby confirmed the fine from Premiership Rugby following the release of Taulupe Faletau to play in a Wales test match outside the IRB 9 window this autumn. This fine covers the length of Faletau’s current contract with the Club.

The sanction was imposed under an independent process managed by Sport Resolutions.

The Policy is only to release non-England players for Tests matches in accordance with the requirements of World Rugby Regulation 9.

Bath Rugby’s full co-operation with the process was acknowledged and, in mitigation, it was decided to reduce the initial £90,000 sanction to £60,000, a figure that covers the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons.

Bath Rugby are the second club to be fined for breaching this Board policy following Northampton Saints in 2013.

A Premiership Rugby spokesman said: “This Board policy has been an essential one, especially as there has been an increasing number of international matches being organised outside the specified international weeks. The agreed policy is well known to clubs, players and unions.”

Tarquin McDonald, Chief Executive of Bath Rugby, commented: “We understand Premiership Rugby’s position on this, and have subsequently worked proactively with them to swiftly achieve a fair resolution. We believed this situation would change, that has not yet happened and we have therefore come to an appropriate settlement with Premiership Rugby.

“However, we continue to believe that there is appetite for change and that this on-going conflict between the club and international calendars is not good for players, clubs or unions. We continue to support the objective of a solution for the separation of club and international calendars in a way which benefits players, clubs and unions, and brings an end to situations such as this.”