Call for salary cap

The Rugby Football Union secretary, Tony Hallett, has called for a salary cap in the game, amid fears many of the smaller clubs could go to the wall.

Va'aiga Tuigamala's record-breaking move to Newcastle - costing the club a total of pounds 1m - has caused consternation among the Courage League ranks, both at the top and bottom.

"Generally, across the board, we would like to see wages capped or at least reasonably apportioned or spread as widely as possible through clubs and the game," Hallett said. "I think we can regulate a little bit. I don't think you can have hard and fast rules, but I think, under the new agreement between the clubs and the union, a mechanism could been put in place to try to give a guide to the way things are done."

However, the new Bedford chairman Frank Warren, who is set to pump his fortune into the Second Division club, said Hallett's hopes will never get off the ground. "As chairman of Bedford rugby that sounds a great idea and financially I'm not against it, but in practice you can't start capping people's salaries, '' he said.