No longer are squads bursting at the seams with a clutch of names for every position going. Instead, purse strings have been tightened and contracts, especially those of a fulltime variety, have become harder to find.
Just ask Jonah Holmes, the Welsh international, who is now juggling a parttime deal with London Scottish with that of pursuing a career as a commercial building surveyor.
For the past two seasons, the 32-year-old was playing for Ealing Trailfinders, making a real name for himself with 25 tries and helping the Londoners to the Championship title last season, as well as a place in the semi-final of the Premiership Rugby Cup.
A move to part-time rugby, however, was not quite how the seven-capped speedster envisaged things panning out.
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