Regularly, find on Toulouse Olympique RL website Samuel JACKSON’s chronicles, young subject of Her Majesty expatriated in the Southwest of France, who shares his passion for rugby league.
Hello, my name’s Samuel Jackson and I am a student from England, currently living in Pau. As a passionate rugby league supporter since my childhood, I follow the game very closely, with a particular interest in the international side of things. From now on I will be writing articles bringing you the latest news from the Super League and other UK competitions. I hope you enjoy them. Sam
For the first edition of his column, Samuel speaks about the rule of the « Marquee Player », recently adopted by Super League clubs:
Big Signings to Come?
One of the biggest pieces of news for the week was the passing of the new ‘Marquee Player’ rule. Super League clubs voted 8-4 in favour of a regulation that will allow them to sign either an academy product for whom only £100,000 of his wage will count towards the salary cap or a player from outside the club for whom £175,000 will count. It has been a subject under serious debate for a long time and had been voted against only a year ago, so this will be seen as an important victory for the likes of cashed-up Salford owner Marwan Koukash. The hope for many is that this will encourage big name transfers from the NRL or rugby union (or at least to keep top talent in the Super League) but many are worried that it will simply lead to wage inflation or exacerbate inequality between the league’s richest and poorest clubs.
