Here are the latest rugby headlines on Thursday, June 16.
Premiership salary report published as Wales skipper in best-paid position
Fly-halves were the highest-paid players in last season's English Premiership, with hookers paid lowest on average.
That's according to Premiership Rugby's report into player salaries for the 2020-2021 season, which they have released in a bid to improve transparency following the Saracens salary cap scandal.
Key findings include the average senior player total salary being £171,187, with fly-half remaining the most lucrative position to play. The average salary of a fly-half in the Premiership is £175,679, with centre (£167,779) and lock (£158,617) making up the top three best-paid positions. Hookers are at the other end of the table, with average earnings being £113,115.
Read more: Plans to honour Phil Bennett are announced as fans to get chance to pay special tributes
As for more experienced players, those who had made more than 100 appearances in the Premiership earned on average £205,000, while those players with more than 50 international caps would receive £325,306 on average.
The report, which does not show the wage bill of specific clubs or the salaries of players but offers an overview of spending in the Gallagher Premiership, will become an annual publication following Myners Report recommendations. Former cabinet minister Lord Paul Myners, who died earlier this year, produced a report on Premiership Rugby's salary cap in 2020 in the wake of Saracens being punished for repeatedly breaching rules.
The likes of Dan Biggar, a highly-valued pivot for Northampton Saints as well as Wales, are likely to be among the top earners given his position and experience.
One of the key recommendations of the Myners Report called for improved transparency, which has been acted on by Premiership Rugby during a 20-page document which shows the average salary for senior players between July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2021 in addition to how much on average each player in certain positions earns.
Saracens are included in the salary cap report despite spending the 2020-21 season in the Championship having been relegated two years ago for repeatedly breaching rules. They have since returned to English rugby's top flight and will contest Saturday's Premiership play-off final at Twickenham against Leicester, who in March were fined £309,841.06 for failing to comply with salary cap regulations due to a third-party company making payments to the image right companies of Tigers' players.
Every club is subject to an annual audit for the salary cap report, which allows bosses to look back as far as a five-year period. In addition to this, an extended audit now takes place for the English champions, which allows for a more forensic look at the finances of the best club in England.
South Africa prospects blocked from Test series with Wales
Springboks coach Jacques Nienaber has revealed he has not selected Madosh Tambwe and the Tshituka brothers, Vincent and Emmanuel, in his group of 43 players before the three-Test series against Wales due to citizenship issues.
Tambwe has been a strong performer on the wing at the Bulls while back-rower Vincent Tshituka has been in exceptional form in an often struggling Lions team in the United Rugby Championship (URC).
“He [Tambwe] is not a SA citizen," Nienaber said, via South Africa's Times Live. "Until he gets citizenship he is not eligible.
"The same with the Tshituka brothers. There is a lot of speculation about them. They need to get citizenship. I know the Tshitukas are busy with a process, I'm not sure if Madosh is.”
Asked by Sunday Times in May whether he was eligible to play for the 'Boks, Tambwe - who is set to move to Bordeaux-Begles in the new season - said: "Yes, last time I checked. I've been travelling with the team [the Bulls away in the URC]. I don't know what more will make or deem me South African.”
Asked the same question in March, Vincent Tshituka told the same paper: “We have applied for SA citizenship. It will be a bit of a waiting game, but we are doing everything we can to try to fast-track that process. When it comes to these matters it is not in our hands. Hopefully things work out.”
Phil Bennett clips played ahead of Barbarians game
Clips of legendary Wales fly-half Phil Bennett have been played to try to inspire the Barbarians ahead of this weekend's clash against England.
George Kruis, who is set to end his rugby career with a Twickenham swansong on Sunday against Eddie Jones' England, revealed the pre-match details with the Baabass wanting to honour Bennett's memory with a display of style and power, the Daily Mail reports.
Kruis will take to the field with a team loaded with French internationals, with their coaching team also involved.
"Most of the presentations have been in French but Phil Bennett has definitely been talked about," he says. "With the French players in the team, there’s a lot of powerful boys who will want to turn it on. But you want to win at the end of the day. It will be interesting to see what style England come out with."
Wales league record to be broken
Rhys Williams is set to become Wales men's most-capped rugby league international when he skippers his side against France on Sunday, June 19. It will be the 32-year-old Salford Red Devils winger's 31st Wales appearance.
John Kear has trimmed his 30-man squad to 21 for the clash, with Wakefield Trinity's Kyle Evans among 10 potential debutants.
Wales have not played since November 2018, when they beat Ireland to secure qualification for this year's postponed Rugby League World Cup in England.
Wales squad: Bailey Antrobus (York City Knights), Joe Burke (West Wales Raiders), Chester Butler (Huddersfield Giants; on loan at Bradford Bulls), Michael Butt (Swinton Lions), Connor Davies (Workington Town), Curtis Davies (Workington Town), Will Evans (Whitehaven), Ben Evans (Bradford Bulls), Kyle Evans (Wakefield Trinity), Jude Ferreira (Hull FC; on loan London Broncos), Matty Fozard (Widnes Vikings), Dalton Grant (London Broncos), Cobi Green (Rochdale Hornets), Tom Hopkins (Barrow Raiders), Lewis Hulme (Widnes Vikings), Elliot Kear (Bradford Bulls), Owen Restall (Oldham Roughyeds), Luis Roberts (Leigh Centurions), Luke Thomas (Warrington Wolves), Anthony Walker (Bradford Bulls), Rhys Williams (Salford Red Devils; capt).
