THE secrecy of Premiership Rugby’s salary cap settlements has been “unsatisfactory” for the sport, admits Worcester Warriors chief executive Jim O’Toole.

O’Toole outlined Warriors’ stance after director of rugby Dean Ryan last week said they were concerned over the competition’s “integrity of promotion and relegation”.

Premiership Rugby insists there were no salary cap breaches last season but admits agreeing “settlements” with an unspecified number of the league’s 12 clubs.

“I genuinely think the history of the regulation and the participation agreements has brought all the parties to where they are at the moment,” said O’Toole.

“It’s unsatisfactory for the clubs, the Premiership and the sport. I think they are a victim of the way the agreements were framed in the past.”

O’Toole said Warriors fully supported the salary cap concept because it’s supposed to create sustainability and a level playing field for all clubs in the Premiership.

The salary cap for last season was £4.76million and it will rise from its current total of £5.5m to £6.5m next season and then £7m from 2017.

O’Toole said: “We were not one of the clubs who were either accused or investigated for breaching the salary cap or any peripheral elements of the salary cap. It’s clear two clubs have entered into confidential agreements with Premiership Rugby because of their situation.

“We are not one of those two clubs. It’s a complex situation because of the confidentiality agreements.

“When you sign up to be a member of Premiership Rugby, there are certain things that are confidential. If you, as a club, are investigated, no one else knows about it.

“It’s between the salary cap manager, a lawyer who works for Premiership Rugby, and you as a club. Ultimately, the management of Premiership Rugby will find out about it. But no-one else knows.

“I have sympathies with the guys at Premiership Rugby because they have to respect the confidential agreements with member clubs but supporters and stakeholders are upset because there is an issue of integrity. If I am coming to Sixways or any other Premiership stadium, paying between £20 and £40 for a ticket, is it a fair competition I am watching and is it based on integrity?”

O’Toole said Warriors were among the first clubs in the competition to reveal they were not under investigation by Premiership Rugby.

“The ownership and I were uncomfortable for a couple of days and we were in a position where we felt we had to say something,” said O’Toole.