IRFU blows whistle on pay-for-play in clubs

Payments to players in Irish club rugby will be outlawed from September 2014 as the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) effectively seeks to return the domestic game to its amateur roots.

The national body yesterday published a “club sustainability report” following almost two years of consultation with clubs, aiming to address concerns that an unwanted pay-to-play culture has developed in Irish club rugby.

The report by an IRFU working party recommends that payments for playing, transfer payments and inducements should all be discontinued, while clubs will have to seek formal approval before fielding transferred players.