“It is clear to me, and to many others within clubs, that the marquee players exemption completely cuts across the objectives of equality and competition and creates unhelpful inflationary pressure on wages,” Myners wrote. “The time is ripe for a review of their continued usefulness.”

A number of clubs, including Northampton, Harlequins and Wasps, agree with him as they try to run their clubs at a time when income has reduced to a trickle and no date has been set on the season’s resumption. With matches likely to be played behind closed doors for some time and fears that a second wave of the virus will disrupt next season, they appreciate that controlling costs will be a priority for at least the next couple of years.