Premiership Rugby to publish Saracens' salary cap breaches report
Premiership Rugby will publish the report into Saracens’ salary cap breaches.
They announced last weekend that the reigning English and European champions will be relegated from the Premiership at the end of this season.
That followed Saracens’ failure to comply with Premiership salary cap regulations for the current campaign.
They were deducted 35 league points and fined £5.36million in November for breaking the salary cap in the 2016-17, 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons.
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WATCH: Andy Goode and Brendan Venter didn’t hold back on this weeks pod as they discussed Saracens and the salary cap scandal.
But the dossier of an investigation led by Lord Dyson into those breaches has so far not been released.
In a message to supporters from Saracens chairman Neil Golding, he said Saracens were “keen” for the report to be published, adding he was “surprised” by suggestions Saracens were objecting to the report being released.
Premiership Rugby chief executive Darren Childs claimed on Tuesday that Saracens had to agree for publication of the report.
A Premiership Rugby spokesperson said preparations would now begin to release the decision document.
https://twitter.com/AndyGoode10/status/1220032593141338114
“Premiership Rugby welcomes Saracens’ decision to withdraw its previous objection to publication of Lord Dyson’s decision,” the spokesperson said.
“These objections were stated in the strongest terms and in writing on behalf of the club by its lawyers.
“We believe that publication of the decision in respect of Saracens’ past breaches of the salary cap is an important step towards upholding trust in our enforcement of the regulations and the disciplinary process.
“We will now begin preparations for release of the decision. Further details will be provided in the coming days.”
Golding told Saracens fans on the club’s official website: “Since my appointment on January 9, I have spent considerable time in discussions with PRL (Premiership Rugby Limited) and nobody has asked me what my position is on the matter.
“To confirm, we are keen for the report to be published in full, and I made PRL aware of this earlier today. It will provide much needed context and clarity.”
Assessing the current campaign, Golding, who succeeded Nigel Wray as chairman, added: “Prior to my time here, there were discussions with PRL (Premiership Rugby Limited) in relation to conducting a mid-season audit spanning several seasons.
“These discussions continued last week after my appointment.
“It would be fair to say that other PRL stakeholders were sceptical about our compliance with such an audit.
Wayne Pivac and captain Alun Wyn Jones today revealed details of the key role Sam Warburton has been given in this season’s #SixNations championship defence 🏴#GuinnessSixNations https://t.co/MSPGso3Zah
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) January 22, 2020
“We carefully considered the option of a full investigatory audit. However, that inevitably would have involved a long period of more financial and emotional strain, and this in turn meant this was not a viable option for us.
“We therefore agreed with PRL on relegation in the hope that we could draw a line under the mistakes made by Saracens with respect to compliance with the regulations and concentrate on putting our new robust procedures in place.”
A message to our fans from Saracens Chairman Neil Golding.
— Saracens Rugby Club (@Saracens) January 22, 2020
Golding began his address to Saracens fans by stating: “First, I recognise that the lack of information shared with you in relation to the news of our relegation must have been frustrating. It was an obligation agreed with PRL, which we have adhered to.
“There is no doubt this has been an emotional time for you all. We know we have let you down as well as the wider rugby community. I was not part of the club’s past actions, but I am committed to the club’s future.
“I accepted the position of chairman knowing that there is a great deal of work to do on many levels.
“That work has already started – for example, we are looking to strengthen the board with the appointment of further non-executive directors of some stature, and we are looking to recruit a permanent CEO.
“My top priority is to ensure that our processes are robust and stand up to the highest level of scrutiny going forward.”
PA
Comments on RugbyPass
Kok will become a fan favourite
1 Go to commentsI am really looking forward to Leigh Halfpenny playing his first Super rugby game for the Crusaders Playing a long side his former Welsh and Scarlets team mate Johnny McNicoll.Johnny has been playing great, back in a Crusaders jersey.The attack has strengthened big time. Also looking forward to David Havili at 10. David is a class act, it also allows Dallas McLeod to remain at 12. A good thing.
1 Go to commentsIf he had stopped insisting on playing in the backrow, instead of wing, where everyone told him he should, he would have been a Bok years ago….
11 Go to comments‘Salads don’t win scrums’ 😂 I love that.
19 Go to commentsCan’t wait for the article that talks about misogyny in Ireland. Somehow.
16 Go to commentsI would like to see a rule change, when the attacking team is held up over the try line, by allowing the defensive team to restart a goal line drop out releases the pressure for the defensive team, but what if the attacking team had to restart a tap 5m out from the defensive team it gives the attacking team to apply more pressure, there are endless options for the attacking side and it will keep the fans in suspence.
2 Go to commentsLess modern South African males predictably triggered.
16 Go to commentsMy heart is with Quins, but the head is convinced Toulouse have too much. Ntamack is back, his timing and wisdom has been missed.
1 Go to commentsWow, what a starting line up for the Sharks) Tasty up front,kremer vs Tshituka or venter …fiery ,,Lavannini ,,will he knobble etzebeth? Biggest game for belleau?
1 Go to commentsIt was rubbish to watch, Blues weren’t even present. Did what they had to do, nothing more. Should be better next week against canes.
1 Go to commentsI’ve just noticed that this match has an all-French refereeing team. Surely a game like this ought to have a neutral ref? Although looking at the BBC preview of the Saints game, Raynal is also down as reffing that - so there may be some confusion about who is reffing what.
1 Go to commentsIf Havili can play anywhere in the back line, why not first 5. #10.
11 Go to commentsThe dressing room had already left for their summer break before they ran out in Dublin that year, and that’s on the coach. Franco Smith has undoubtedly made progress, particularly their maul, developing squad players and increasing squad depth. And against a very tight budget too. That said they were too lightweight last year and got found out against both Toulon and Munster in consecutive games. Better this season so far but they’ve developed something of a slow start habit occasionally, most notably losing at home to Northampton who played them at their own game. Play offs will ultimately show whether there has been tangible progress on last year, or not…!
2 Go to commentsAustralian Rugby has been a disaster, by not incorporating learning from previous successful campaigns. QLD Reds 2011 - Waratahs 2014. Players, coaches and administrators appoint there representatives for scheduled meetings, organisation’s agreement’s assessments and correspondence. This why a unified Rugby Union under one entity works. Every Rugby nation has taken that path. Was most difficult in the Northern hemisphere with over 100 years of club rugby before the game become professional. Took a lot of humility for those unions to eventually work together.
7 Go to commentsThough Wilson’s sacking was pretty brutal, it wasn’t just down to that Leinster game; Glasgow had a lot of 2nd half collapses that season, in the URC and Europe, and only just scraped into the playoffs. Franco Smith has definitely been an improvement, some players are delivering far more than they did under Wilson.
2 Go to commentsjesus - that front 5!
1 Go to commentsShould be an absolute cracker of a game! Will be great to see DuPont & Ntamack in tandem once again🔥
1 Go to commentsBest team ever…. To have played? These guys are still pressure chokers. Came nowhere when it counted. What a joke
84 Go to commentsMusk defends anonymous terrorism, fascism, threats against individuals and children etc etc But a Rugby club account….lock ‘em up!!!
2 Go to commentsActually the era defining moment came a few years earlier. February 2002 to be precise, when Michael D Higgins as finance minister at the time introduced his sports persons tax relief bill to the dial. As the politicians of the day stated “It seems to be another daft K Club frolic born in Kildare amongst the well-paid professional jockeys with whom the Minister plays golf” and that the scheme represented “a savage uncaring vision of Ireland and one that should be condemned”. The irfu and Leinster would be nowhere near the position they are in today without this key component of the finances.
5 Go to comments