SALARY cap teams can still lift the top trophies and Gloucester are intent on proving it, says executive chairman Ryan Walkinshaw.
The Kingsholm custodian has challenged the English game to safeguard Premiership squad wage limits, to preserve the 'world's best domestic rugby product'.
Cherry and Whites co-owner Walkinshaw is confident Gloucester can progress under Nigel Davies and claim the highest honours.
And he is adamant there is no need to break the bank – or the salary cap – in order to achieve sustained success.
Rumour and conjecture fly constantly in regard to certain English clubs, and whether or not they break Premier Rugby's self-imposed salary cap.
The clubs themselves impose the limit, and several Premiership clubs have long lobbied for its removal.
Suggesting clubs overspend and proving it are entirely different beasts.
And Gloucester's concern is not with potential breaches by other clubs. Walkinshaw said the Cherry and Whites are intent on safeguarding the club's long-term financial health – at the same time as swiping silverware.
He explained: "We must protect and preserve the best product in terms of domestic leagues in the game across the world.
"That's the responsibility of the clubs across the Premiership, it's up to us to stick to that rigidly.
"As a club at Gloucester our policy of adhering to the salary cap is clear, and that is not going to change.
"Whatever suggestions or intimations are proposed elsewhere ultimately do not and cannot concern us.
"What we want to do is prove just how effective a squad can be within those salary cap limits. Clubs have simply got to be sustainable, and that means running strong business models that do not rely on bottomless pockets of one or two investors.
"That's our position, that's what we're continuing to work hard to achieve at Gloucester, but at the same time we are not about sacrificing performance and results on the pitch.
"We still firmly believe balancing both interests is attainable.
"There's a reason why the play-off qualification went down to the last two weekends of the season.
"Were it not for RFU points deductions, the relegation battle could well have been the same.
"The fight for a Heineken Cup place went right down to the wire.
"Across the league almost every match has something riding on it.
"That's what is fantastic about the Premiership and part of that impressive competition is brought about by the salary cap."
