Rugby Club Toulonnais was fined 500,000 euros on Tuesday for a lack of transparency regarding the salary cap for the 2022-2023 season. In a press release, the Var club confirmed its intention to appeal in the coming days.
Rugby Club Toulonnais was fined €500,000 on Tuesday by the specialist “salary cap” section of the disciplinary and regulations committee of the National Rugby League. The Var club was fined for lacking transparency and cooperation during the 2022-2023 season. But, as highlighted by the recent fourth-place finish in the regular phase of the Top 14, RCT was not fined for non-compliance with the salary cap.
“It should be noted first of all that Rugby Club Toulonnais has not exceeded the salary cap, which is also recognized by the National Rugby League and its disciplinary committee,” stressed the club of president Bernard Lemaitre via a press release. “The conviction in the first instance to a fine of 500,000 euros is firmly contested by the club which, as it has the possibility, will appeal this decision in the next few days to the appeal committee of the French Rugby Federation.”
RCT already sanctioned for the recruitment of Kolbe
The repeat offender nature of the RCT was retained by the specialized “salary cap” section of the LNR disciplinary and regulations committee while the club of president Bernard Lemaitre has already been sanctioned for similar facts after the recruitment of the South African international winger Cheslin Kolbe. The club was then fined 70,000 euros after having snatched the winger from the Boks to Toulouse during the season.
Fourth in the regular phase of the Top 14 in 2023-2024, Toulon was then eliminated in the play-offs by La Rochelle at Mayol (29-34). A cruel defeat for the Varois who returned to the final stages of the French championship for the first time since 2018-2019.
