THE power of the Richmond chequebook cemented the new age. of professional rugby union yesterday when the English League Two club splashed out on five big-name, stars.

Richmond chose London's Cafe Royal to unveil their new quintet of Bath's England forward Ben Clarke and club colleague Darren Crompton, Gloucester lock Richard West and rugby league stars Scott Quinnell of Wigan and Leeds' Jim Fallon.

The London club, backed by millionaire Ashley Levett's Pounds 2.5million cash injection, have now upped the stakes for all the top clubs next season.

The biggest coup was persuading England number eight Clarke to leave champions and cup winners Bath and former Welsh international Quinnell to leave his lucrative contract with rugby league champions Wigan.

Clarke will be Richmond's new captain and his share of the club's potential annual wage bill of Pounds 700,000 could reach Pounds 150,000.

That wage bill could move closer to Pounds 1 million if they can also persuade rugby league giants St Helens to part with their Welsh international centre Scott Gibbs, to whom they have been talking.

Bath captain Phil de Glanville believes Clarke should have stayed at England's double winners. "We have a good contract at Bath - obviously not as lucrative as Richmond's - but money isn't everything," said de Glanville.

"There is also the possibility of him risking his England place because he will not have the necessary hard, competitive matches to prove himself. There are the precedents of the two Northampton forwards.

De Glanville was referring to Tim Rodber and Martin Bayfield, who lost their England places following Northampton's relegation from the top flight last year.

But Clarke, 28, with 28 caps in the England back row, took advice before dropping down a division and is aware of the risks to his England future.