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Clubs should stop paying players that 'are simply not good enough' - Moore

By Ian Cameron
(Photo by Fotopress/Getty Images)

Former England international Brian Moore has called on lower-tier clubs to stop paying players who ‘simply aren’t good enough’.

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What’s more, the former hooker says that English rugby is not fulfilling its true potential.

Every year millions of pounds are on spent on match fees for semi-professional players in England’s third, fourth and fifth flight.

As it stands clubs are at Level Three are allowed to spend up £250,000 on players. At Level Four that drops to £125,000 and at Level 5, it falls further to £50,000. At Level Six, clubs are not permitted to pay players and are only allowed to pay a maximum of £10,000 to a ‘player coach’.

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Moore believes the practice must end, as he believes it’s effectively draining teams of resources that could be spent better elsewhere. The 60-year-old believes that money is being wasted on players that ‘are simply not good enough’.

Writing in his Telegraph column, Moore states: “English rugby is wasting millions of pounds on players who are simply not good enough,” he wrote. “The maximum total payments to players are set at £250,000, £125,000 and £50,000 in levels three, four and five, respectively, and they have effectively become what a club need to spend to play at that level. Think what that yearly spend could achieve, rather than use players who are not good enough.”

On the professional front, Moore is in favour of minimum EQPs (England Qualified Player) quotas for teams, a move which is coming in 2024. He also believes in central contracts for England players.

“I doubt whether there is the altruism on either side for the good of the wider England game, but if there is not then England’s potential will never be fulfilled and success will be sporadic.”

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From August, 2024 onwards, Gallagher Premiership clubs will be obliged to have a minimum of 15 EQPs in each match-day squad.

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Comments

2 Comments
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David 900 days ago

Moore's statement of "stop paying players that are simply not good enough" demonstrates how distanced he is from middle tier rugby. Part of team sport is about competition and winning, teams go up and down; their club's finances are up to them, and most are prudent with their playing budgets. The game is open, it always finds its level if the management manage.

c
christopher 901 days ago

There are some very valid points in this article. The money that is taken out of the game at levels 5,6 is particularly galling. It also encourages players to move from their home club for a very small payment at a "bigger" club who have played no part in player development or nurturing.

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JW 37 minutes ago
All Blacks player ratings vs Australia | Bledisloe Cup I

Yes I know little of South Africa's past teams I'm afraid, theyve obviously had great teams throughout their history.


You raise a tricky dilemma. Any team is a sum of their parts. To make a point, lets say that South Africa aren't a team that has been able to take advantage, or use all if it's 'parts', to a maximum before, were as you could say that 2015 AB did use all of it's parts and become the 'most complete' team in history. Now a) that might not be exactly true of either team, and b) even if it was true one could argue that doesn't mean the result is going to go one way or the other. SA "limited" style could win out again ABs "complete" style etc.


I'm of the belief that attack trumps defence, that the ball will always beat the man.. that the AB's having been so good because they played the best style of rugby and won against all the odds. They have not had the best players, they make the best of their players. That's what I see clicking in this current side, theyre becoming 'complete' again. I don't know why they've not been able to do it all game. You can point to their discipline but it could easily be a drop in physical conditioning. They've all got bigger, it's been a big area of change in the NZ game. They've also lost cohesion


So yes and no. I think Sacha is someone to enable a complete game, but SA are going to also lose some key 'parts' to there game when the vets retire. Like how NZ still had some 'parts' post 2015, they had no one to link them, hence how I think this team now trumps those because they do look to have someone who can make them complete, despite the individual parts (read "players"). The parts will still matter though, England have some great props coming through, France look to have the best trajectory, will there be enough pieces for Sacha to put together? Your forwards will play a big factor, I really like the idea of BJD offload game adding to that completeness. That certainly doesn't take away from what theyve done, they might indeed have beat that opposite idea, or this new team. Certainly the chance is there to do it, and this current team hasn't been doing it. It will be hard to think of a 'great' team that is actually 'two' teams over a 4 year period!

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