French clubs want action taken at European level against Saracens
Racing 92 president Jacky Lorenzetti believes steps must be taken in Europe to sanction clubs like Saracens who break their domestic league salary cap rules.
As revealed by RugbyPass on Thursday night, an automatic drop to the second tier of English rugby is on cards for 2020/21 due to the London club’s inability to show they are operating under the £7million cap this season.
This is a charge they were found guilty of for the last three seasons, leading to a 35-point reduction and £5.4m fine.
French clubs have a higher salary cap within the Top 14 than the £7million limit that Saracens have broken, but the Parisian club boss wants sanctions for salary cap-bursting offenders to be extended into Europe
Interviewed by Midi Olympique, the bi-weekly French rugby newspaper, ahead of Sunday’s Heineken Champions Cup meeting between the clubs at Allianz Park, Lorenzetti said: “On the initiative of Clermont’s Eric de Cromieres, we will also review European regulations so that the sanction produced in a country can be extended to continental competitions. This should be effective within two years.
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Saracens on brink of automatic relegation
“The eleven English clubs having seen Saracens sanctioned, but 19 European clubs have been fighting for ten years with Sarries to win the European Cup… it is, therefore, a problem that must be resolved,” he said, dismissing the €3million difference between the Top 14 and the Premiership salary cap limit.
“The marquee player rule allows English clubs to have more room for manoeuvre. In the end, the gap between us is tiny,” insisted Lorenzetti, who did admit that he also wants tighter policing of the French league’s own salary cap.
“The league is trying to put in place a system for gathering evidence but we are less pragmatic than our British friends, for sure. The subject deserves to be deepened.”
The Saracens story just keeps on giving!https://t.co/a9gJIFdMG6
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) January 17, 2020
Asked if he would be interested in signing any Saracens players for next season, Lorenzetti responded that they are too expensive.
Amid the fall-out in London, it has been claimed that the club’s leading players could opt to join French clubs in the Top14 for one season as England have a clause which allows head coach Eddie Jones to pick players in exceptional circumstances – and the current crisis certainly satisfies that criteria.
Saracens have remembered they have a huge European match to play this weekend https://t.co/CMTDjjsQ2x
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) January 17, 2020
However, Racing boss Lorenzetti has no interested in getting any of them on his books in France. “No. First, these players are overpriced. It took me ten years to balance the accounts. Racing is not going to put me in the red on a whim.
“And then, these rugby players will never arrive on the French market because they will always favour their national team to which they would no longer have access in the event of an exodus.”
WATCH: Jim Hamilton discusses all the news of the week in the latest episode of Don’t Mess With Jim
Comments on RugbyPass
The value he brought to the crusaders as an assistant was equal to what he got out of being there. He reflected not only on the team culture but also the credit he attributed to the rugby community. Such experience shouldn’t be overlooked.
3 Go to commentsGood luck Aussie
10 Go to commentssmith at 9 / mounga 10 / laumape 12 / fainganuku 14
39 Go to commentsBar the injuries, it’s pretty much their top team …
2 Go to commentsDon’t disagree with much of this but it appears you forgot Rodda and Beale, who started at the Force on the weekend.
10 Go to commentsExcept for the injured Zach Gallagher this would be Saders best forward pack for the season. Blackadder needs to stay at 7, for all of Christies tackling he is not dominant and offers very little else. McNicholfullback is maybe a good option, Fihaki not really upto it, there was a reason Burke played there last year. Maybe Havilli to 2nd five McLeod to wing. Need a strong winger on 1 side to compliment Reece
1 Go to commentsTo me TJ is clearly the best 9 in the competition right now but he's also a proven player off the bench, there's few playmaking players who can come off the bench as calm and settled as he is, Beauden can, TJ can and I doubt any of the scrumhalves in contention can, if they want to experiment with new 9s I want him on the bench ready to step in if they crumble under the pressure. The Boks put their best front row on the bench, I'd like to see us take a similar approach, the Hurricanes have been doing similar things with players like Kirifi.
39 Go to commentsROG has better chance to win a WC if he starts training and make himself eligible as a player. He won’t make the Ireland squad but I reckon he may get close with Namibia (needs to improve his Afrikaans) or Portugal. Both sides had 1000:1 odds to win the RWC in 2023 which is an improvement on ROG’s odds of winning a RWC as a coach. Unlike Top 14 teams, national teams can’t go shopping and buy the best players - you work with the available talent pool and turn them into world beaters.
3 Go to commentsthat backline nope that backline is terrible why would you have sevu Reece when he’s not even top 5 wingers in the comp why have Blackadder when there’s better players no Scott barret isn’t an automatic the guy is more of a liability than anything why have him there when you have samipeni who’s far far better
39 Go to commentsAh, good to find you Nick. Agree with everything about Cale. So much to like about his game
51 Go to commentsNot too bad. Questions at 6, lock and HB for me. The ABs will be a lot stronger once Jordan and Roigard return. Also, work needs to be made to secure Frizzell back for next season and maybe also Mo’unga; they’re just wasting time playing in japan
39 Go to commentsOn the title, i wonder for many of those people it is a case something like a belief in working smarter, not harder?
1 Go to commentsForget Sotutu. One of those whose top level is Super Rugby. Id take a punt on Wallace Sititi Finau ahead of Glass body Blackadder.
39 Go to commentsI’m a pensioner so I've been around a bit. My opinion of SBW is he is an elite athlete and a great New Zealander and roll model. He has been to the top and knows what he's talking about. To all the negative comments regarding SBW the typical New Zealand way, cut that tall poppy down.
17 Go to commentsI'm not listening to a guy moralise over others when this is the guy who walked out mid season on Canterbury RLFC when he had a contract with them, what a hypocrite. All the Kiwis sticking up for this unprincipled individual because they can't accept justified criticism, he has zero credibility or integrity. Those praising him are a joke.
17 Go to commentsI’d put Finau at 6 instead of Blackadder but that’s the only change I’d make. Can’t wait to see who Razor picks.
39 Go to commentsTamati Williams, Codie Taylor, and Same Cane? Not sure about Hoskins Sotutu at test level. Wasn’t that impressive last season. Need a balance between experience and talent/youth.
39 Go to commentsInteresting insight. Fantastic athlete, and a genuine human being.
17 Go to commentsThey played at night in Suva last weekend and it’s an afternoon game forecast for 19 degrees in Canberra this weekend. Heat change is a non issue.
2 Go to commentsWishing Rosie a speedy recovery
1 Go to comments