English RU's $8.7 million salary cap a threat to the NRL?

[Copa]

Next season the English RU comp will have a £4 million salary cap.. that's a lot of $$.... nearly $9 million in fact.

http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/leedscarnegie/In-it-for-the-long.3942797.jp

However, with the salary cap doubling to £4m next season,

If Oz RU had this much cash per team there'd be real concerns for the NRL's capacity to keep top stars that might be suitable for RU..

Could this be a worry for the NRL? .. there is no way they could compete with this sort of money if an english RU club wanted to make an offer to an Oz RL player.. even a small offer from the the union club would be hard to match.

Or is this the start of the end for Oz RU as they leave in droves for the money on offer in england..?

 

[melon....]

Its RU...there is NO threat!!!

 

[juneauquan]

Its RU...there is NO threat!!!

Yep.

 

[juneauquan]

Its RU...there is NO threat!!!

Just to expand on that, a Rugby journalist in 2000 wrote that Rugby League would be in dead in the UK within 5 years because of RU. Needless, to say the UK Super League has grown in crowds and TV viewers every year since this journo made the comment. And I believe he wrote another article last year or the year before retracting his comment about the imminent death of RL in the UK.

 

[fourplay]

I would say it's more of a threat to Oz RU than Oz RL.

Just like if the ESL had a 4million pound salary cap it would put a big dent in the NRL.

 

[Billythekid]

As far as i can tell RU is just hurting itself. Both in Aus and overseas it's setting it's salary caps way to high and they are going to send the game broke.

Also this is not a threat to RL at all.

 

[1 Eyed TEZZA]

NZRU is more under threat then anyone else. Union is suffering in Australia but thats about it. NZRU is doing ok, France is on a slow decline and League in France is slowly on the incline, and Union is the UK I believe is getting bigger but not as fast as League.

 

[In-goal]

I don't know how half the GP clubs can or could afford that sum of money. Perhaps the next TV deal for the RSL can be alot larger with expansion clubs to enable a even contest.

 

[t-ba]

They'll kill Club football. The only club that has sustainable revenues capable of maintaining that is Glos. The rest are all reliant on sugar daddies to even be able to compete remotely financially.