Relegated Saracens now on a staggering -77 points total following further Premiership Rugby sanction
Saracens have plummeted to a staggering -77 points total on the Gallagher Premiership table following further sanctions by Premiership Rugby.
The organising body of the English club league issued a statement on Tuesday evening explaining that Premiership Rugby had been in dialogue with the RFU since confirming on January 18 that Saracens would be automatically relegated at the end of the 2019/20 season.
Saracens had been deducted 35 points in early November following salary cap breaches in three previous seasons. They were also fined £5.36million.
Now, a further deduction of 70 points has been imposed on the London club in the current season and the tournament’s league table has been updated to leave twelfth-place Saracens adrift on -77, well below eleventh place Leicester on twelve points.
Premiership Rugby also stated that they had amended salary cap regulations 4.9d and 14.8 following the unanimous approval of its clubs.
(Continue reading below…)
Damning report reveals the extent of the initial Saracens salary cap breaches
The 4.9d regulations now reads: “If a disciplinary panel finds that a club has exceeded the senior ceiling by £350,000 or more in a salary cap year, the salary cap manager may, at any time within twelve months of his receipt of that decision, investigate whether the club is now compliant with the regulations as follows:
“(i) without prejudice to the salary cap manager’s other powers he, or his nominee(s), shall also have the same powers as those afforded to the Investigators pursuant to regulation 4.9(c);
“(ii) the salary cap manager shall not need to satisfy the requirements of regulation 4.9(a);
https://twitter.com/RugbyPass/status/1221366380404056064
“(iii) Relevant records shall mean any record, document or other information held by or under the control of the club relevant to compliance with the regulations;
“(iv) the words ‘in connection with the suspected breach of the regulations or false declaration’ in regulation 4.9(c) (iv) shall not apply;
“(v) the words ‘for the purposes of carrying out the investigatory audit’ in regulation 4.9(c)(vi) shall not apply.”
https://twitter.com/RugbyPass/status/1222175791708020737
The amended 14.8 regulation now reads: “If the club does not fully co-operate in a timely manner with an investigation conducted under regulation 4.9(d), the salary cap manager may deduct 70 points from the number of league points earned by the club in respect of games played in the Gallagher Premiership with immediate effect (which may result in the club having a negative balance).
“Notwithstanding the provisions of regulation 16, PRL may publish the fact that 70 points have been deducted and the reasons why.”
The 70-point deduction rounded off another day of upheaval at Saracens as interim chief executive Edward Griffiths resigned with immediate effect just 26 days after taking on the role.
WATCH: How the Saracens salary cap scandal could strengthen New Zealand rugby
Comments on RugbyPass
smith at 9 / mounga 10 / laumape 12 / fainganuku 14
36 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.
9 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.
36 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.
2 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
36 Go to commentsAh, good to find you Nick. Agree with everything about Cale. So much to like about his game
49 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
36 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.
36 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.
36 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.
36 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 commentsObscene that SA haven’t been knocking
1 Go to commentsChances of Blackadder being injured seem too high to give him serious consideration. ABs loosie combination finally looked good with 2 committed to tackling and clearing rucks in the centre and Ardie roaming. Hoskins/Ardie together would force one of them into where they don’t excel and don’t get to use their talent, or require a change in tactics. If we continue to evolve last years systems I would take Papali’i and Finau at 6 and 7 (conceding that Blackadder will be injured) and Ardie at 8.
36 Go to comments