Agreed but my point is that the cumulative effect of large player salaries then creates an issue, when you look at who Sharks have signed then I wonder where they will be in relation to the salary cap. NH rugby will perhaps pay more than SH, a large proportion of Kiwis (and Islanders) see wearing the AB jersey as the ultimate achievement, so pay (though important) becomes less of an issue. Their plan is then usually to see out their twilight years on the meter in the NH, as an AB career for a lot of players can be short as the pipeline is so good. Retalick will perhaps be double at least of what JCW is on, when you look at the Sharks roster then Yarde, Ashton, De Klerk, Solomona, McGinty will not be cheap and they will have to make cuts elsewhere to accomodate a tier 1 AB star.
I get curiouser and curiouser as to how clubs are getting in under the cap, Saracens must be a fag paper away from it and if Sale start splashing cash in an even more liberal way then they too will be right on the line or over it.