Damning 103-page report reveals the extent of Saracens' salary cap breaches
After outcry from rugby fans and professionals alike, the content of the comprehensive report outlining Saracens’ salary cap breaches has finally been revealed.
Saracens, who were fined £5.3m for going over the £7m Guinness Premiership salary ceiling for the 2019/2020 season were also deducted 35 competition points in November, which effectively ruled them out of playoff contention for the current year. Things went from bad to worse for the current champions earlier this month when it was revealed that the club would, in fact, be automatically relegated at the end of the season – regardless of their final points tally.
The exact breaches committed by the club have been shrouded in secrecy, but Sky News has now revealed the various misdemeanours that will ultimately lead to the Saracens playing in England’s second-tier Championship next season.
A 103-page report was prepared to outline the disciplinary process, including all the various considerations of the decision-making panel, chaired by former British judge Lord Dyson.
The panel ultimately agreed that automatic relegation would be too comprehensive a punishment for the club.
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“We accept that the breaches were not deliberate, but in our view they were reckless,” the report said. “We consider that to impose a deduction of 70 points in one salary cap year is disproportionate and is not required to satisfy the underlying purpose of the relegations.”
Regardless of the panel’s ultimate findings, questions must be raised concerning the competency or the honesty of Saracens’ management.
Although direct salaries paid to players did not breach the club’s spending cap, various other payments were made to benefit players, which the panel have found should count towards the cap.
The £7m cap was breached in three consecutive seasons, from 2016-17 until 2018-19. Over those three seasons, Saracens won two Premiership titles and two European titles.
The biggest contributors to the breach concerned star players Maro Itoje, Chris Ashton, and Mako and Billy Vunipola.
Could a season (or two) in the Championship actually benefit @Saracens internationals, or is Mark McCall just trying to convince his own men to stay put?https://t.co/MsKfvrCnq1 #PremiershipRugby
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) January 22, 2020
Club chairman Nigel Wray, who resigned amidst the controversy earlier this month after first investing in the club in the mid 90’s, was found to have made payments totalling over £1m by entering into a range of joint ventures with players.
Wray also offered interest-free loans to the Vunipola brothers for the purchase and renovation of a home.
Lock Itoje was made a number of not-so-insignificant payments by a hospitality company based at Saracens – ostensibly to cover appearance fees for various events. However, the panel found that Itoje hadn’t actually made any such appearances which meant the payments were effectively simple salary benefits.
Wray and two other company directors also invested in an image rights company owned by Itoje. This, in of itself, would not have amounted to a breach, except for the fact that panel found the directors had paid £1.6m for shares valued at only half that amount.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B7nNkNTF0pv/
Premiership Rugby asserted the benefits received by Itoje were made to compensate for his below-average salary in order to allow the club to come in under the salary cap.
With breaches totalling over £2m over the three seasons, Premiership Rugby have made the decision to relegate the club, despite the final comments of the panel.
Those comments are likely exactly why Saracens were happy for the report to be published, despite initial suggestions that the club wanted the report kept under wraps.
That being said, the suggestion that breaches were “not deliberate” brings into question the competency of Saracens’ management. A sensible director would not be comfortable significantly overspending on investments.
Explosive radio interview illustrates how the Saracens saga hasn't ended with last Saturday's automatic relegation https://t.co/IL6MK9Ta3X
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) January 21, 2020
Of course, the alternative – that Saracens knew exactly what they were doing – would be just as damning for the club’s reputation.
One factor the report does make clear is that no players are believed to have been complicit in the club’s actions – but that raises questions regarding why a global superstar such as Maro Itoje would be happy to receive a below-market pay-packet.
All in all, the report sheds light over the exact ‘mistakes’ made by Saracens management that have ultimately seen the club consigned to spending next season in the second tier.
Whatever way you look at it, Saracens won two England titles using a squad that no team would be able to assemble without breaching competition rules – intentionally or otherwise.
WATCH: Saracens Director of Rugby, Mark McCall, has confirmed that the club won’t be able to retain all their talent next season.
Comments on RugbyPass
Should've done this years ago. Change Saturday kick off times to around 11am. Up and off and back home before 3pm, limit travel time too. Allows players to actually do something else with their Saturday that's family oriented or being rugby fans they could ‘watch’ pro rugby. Increases crowds etc. How can anyone that enjoys grassroots and pro rugby have to choose between the two on Saturdays?
9 Go to commentsI bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
19 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
9 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
19 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
9 Go to commentsYes Sir! Surprising, just like Fraser would also have escaped sanction if he was a few inches lower, even if it was by accident that he missed! Has there really been talk about those sanctions or is this just sensational journalism? I stopped reading, so might have missed any notations.
9 Go to commentsAI is only as good as the information put in, the nuances of the sport, what you see out the corner of the eye, how you sum up in a split second the situation, yes the AI is a tool but will not help win games, more likely contribute to a loss, Rugby Players are not robots, all AI can do if offer a solution not the solution. AI will effect many sports, help train better golfers etc.
45 Go to commentsIt couldn’t have been Ryan Crotty. He wasn’t selected in either World Cup side - they chose Money Bill instead. And Money Bill only cared about himself, and that manager he had, not the team.
28 Go to commentsYawn 🥱 nobody would give a hoot about this new trophy. End of the day we just have to beat Ireland and NZ this year then they can finally shut up 🤐
19 Go to commentsTalking bout Ryan Crotty? Heard Crotty say in a interview once that SBW doesen't care about the team . He went on to say that whenever they lost a big game, SBW would be happy as if nothing happened, according to him someone who cares would look down.. Personally I think Crotty is in the wrong, not for feeling gutted but for expecting others 2 be like him… I have been a bad loser forever as it matters so much to me but good on you SBW for being able to see the bigger picture….
28 Go to commentsThis sounds like a WWE idea so Americans can also get excited about rugby, RUGBY NEEDS A INTERNATIONAL CALENDER .. The rugby Championship and Six Nations can be held at same time, top 3 of six nations and top 3 of Rugby championship (6 nations should include Georgia AND another qualifying country while Fiji, Japan and Samoa/Tonga qualifier should make out 6 Southern teams).. Scrap June internationals and year end tours. Have a Elite top six Cup and the Bottom 6 in a secondary comp….
19 Go to commentsThe rugby championship would be even stronger with Fiji in it… I know it doesen’t fit the long term plans of NZ or Aus but you are robbing a whole nation of being able to see their best players play for Fiji…. Every second player in NZ and AUS teams has Fijian surnames… shame on you!!! World rugby won’t step in either as France and England has now also joined in…. I guess where money is involved it will always be the poor countries missing out….
90 Go to commentsNo surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
4 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
9 Go to comments