London Irish signings raise questions over salary cap on Twitter

London Irish added yet another player to their ranks today with Adam Coleman to join the speight of international stars that will be with the Exiles next season.

The 29-cap Australia lock is set to join Irish after the World Cup alongside compatriots Nick Phipps, Sekope Kepu and Curtis Rona. In addition to the Wallaby contingent, All Blacks powerhouse Waisake Naholo and Irish duo Sean O’Brien and Paddy Jackson will also be at the Madejski Stadium next season.

There is a huge wave of high-profile names that will team up with head coach Declan Kidney next season, as the Exiles seek to become a force once again in the top tier of English rugby. Of course, buying new players in is not necessarily a recipe for success, shown by London Welsh when they were promoted back in 2014, however, no side has ever added as much quality to their squad immediately after coming up from the Championship.

In light of these signings, many questions are being raised by fans on Twitter regarding the salary cap, and how the Exiles are managing to fund this spending spree.

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The salary cap has been one of the hottest topics in English rugby this year after an investigation into how Saracens work around the system. Many fans are questioning whether Irish are adopting similar tactics, as it seems hard to believe that they would be able to attract so many big names.

Some fans are also wondering whether London Irish are taking advantage of the investment from CVC into the Premiership, although questions remain as to whether this is a sustainable approach by the Exiles.

This is what the fans have said:
https://twitter.com/DavidLambe1/status/1126439242522091520?s=20
https://twitter.com/john_corrigan27/status/1126463134959579136?s=20
https://twitter.com/LumaNona/status/1126451769712754688?s=20
https://twitter.com/Franks141R/status/1126450841651695616?s=20
https://twitter.com/StTim/status/1126433239651033088?s=20
https://twitter.com/denisohora/status/1126460871583072256?s=20
https://twitter.com/IainMiles/status/1126432963095334918?s=20
https://twitter.com/TheSamRice/status/1126123587864338432?s=20

London Irish vs the salary cap pic.twitter.com/mLGoZwfIGz

— Dai Lama (@WelshDalaiLama) May 8, 2019

London Irish have notoriously had one of the strongest academies in English rugby, producing a number players currently plying their trade in other Premiership teams. If they can marry their younger players that are emerging with these international stars that are arriving, they could well find a lot of success next season. However, there may be a cloud over them throughout next campaign regarding their finances.