The cash-flow woes at the Lions is a snapshot of the financial malaise among SA's 14 provincial unions.

Many operate well beyond their means and are often kept afloat by grants from the SA Rugby Union (Saru). While the woes of Boland, Southwestern Districts, Eastern Province and Border have been well documented, the lowly Griffons have maintained tight fiscal discipline.

"The smaller unions increasingly have to face the reality that if they can't afford a player, he has to move on," said SA Rugby Players' Association chief executive Piet Heymans. "Often, however, contracts are concluded and players paid sums the union cannot afford in the long run. The union suffers and has to seek outside help. It's is a huge problem."

It is a problem that has been addressed in France, even though they now have the best-paid players in the world in their Top14.

"They've adopted an interesting model. The clubs have budget caps and they can only commit 50% of their budget to player's salaries," Heymans said wistfully.

"At the start of the season, clubs have to produce guarantees that they have the means to pay players for the entire season. Stade Francais, one of their biggest clubs, this campaign had problems providing those guarantees and even they were told if they didn't provide them by a certain deadline, they would be dropped from the league.

"That system is clear. We have to start moving in that direction because we have at least one province that has lost its sponsors but is still contracting players.

"We have 14 provinces who all have aspirations and that spawns a false sense of what constitutes a professional rugby player. A bloke may earn only R10000 a month and he'll think he's a pro. He's actually a junior player who still has to study and then find a job."