Rugby: French National Rugby League loosens salary cap, encourages clubs to invest in infrastructure

Professional clubs that provide French internationals will receive a margin of €100,000 per player towards the calculation of the salary cap beginning with the 2014-15 season, LNR (French National Rugby League) announced on 29/04/2014 as part of the presentation of its program entitled "New Deal". This program aims to strengthen the attractiveness of Top 14 and Pro D2, the two French divisions of professional rugby, and to strengthen clubs' financial positions.

The French professional clubs have been subject to a salary cap since 2010. The cap is set at €10m per season and applies to fiscal years 2013-14, 2014-15 and 2015-16. The margin of € 100,000 per French international player will be based, for 2014-15, on the list of 30 players for France to be established in May 2014 by the FFR (French Rugby Federation).

This group of 30 is called up to play for France in the summer tour in Australia from 07 to 21/06/2014. "Adjustments to the new measure could be considered if the group of 30 players should come to play for France the fall tournament in New Zealand, Tonga and South Africa…