Premiership Rugby invites Mark Cueto to salary cap summit after raising breach ...

“Since seeing the report we contacted Mark and he is more than happy to meet

Phil Winstanley,” said the spokesman. “We have to show due diligence and we

will hear what Mark has got to say.”

Cueto is not the first to accuse clubs of ignoring the salary cap. London

Irish’s director of rugby, Brian Smith, the former England attack coach,

said in January that “some teams are cheating the salary cap and spending

twice what we do on our squad”. Premiership Rugby, however, says it has

taken a tough line on claims that clubs are breaching the cap. It hired

Andrew Rogers as its salary cap and regulations manager and appointed legal

firm Charles Russell in 2012 to strengthen its team monitoring the salary

cap. But it has continued to prove a contentious issue.

Previously Leicester, Northampton, Saracens and Bath have all pushed for a

major increase in the cap to enable them to remain competitive with the

French Top 14 clubs in the Heineken Cup, whose cap is almost twice the

English limit.

Meanwhile, former England captain Phil Vickery has joined the Rugby Football

Union Council as a national member.

Vickery, 38, won the World Cup in 2003 as well as a host of domestic honours

with Gloucester and Wasps and represented the British and Irish Lions. “I

want to continue to put something back and help others to benefit from all

that rugby has to offer,” he said.

The 73-times capped prop joins former England team-mates Richard Hill and

Jason Leonard on the 61-strong council.

“This is a tremendously exciting time to be involved in the game in England as

we look to make the most of the opportunity of hosting the World Cup,”

Vickery added.

Premiership Rugby invites Mark Cueto to salary cap summit after raising breach ...