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Rugby Australia 'are going to go heavy' on Will Skelton following Saracens salary cap scandal
Rugby Australia have declared they “are going to go heavy” in pursuing former Wallabies lock Will Skelton in the wake of the Saracens salary cap scandal.
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The north London club have confirmed they will be looking to offload players as a result of three-year salary cap breach which has earned the reigning English and European champions automatic relegation into next season’s Championship.
Saracens had already received a 35-point reduction in the Premiership and a £5.36 million fine for exceeding the £7 million salary cap over the past three seasons.
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After failing to comply with salary cap regulations, Saracens opted for demotion after being given the choice of a season in the Championship or opening up their books for a forensic audit and handing back their Premiership trophies for two of the last three campaigns.
While their domestic title ambitions are all but nullified, a tilt at successive Champions Cup crowns is still on the cards following Saracens’ 27-24 defeat of Racing 92 last weekend.
However, their bid for consecutive European titles may have to be done without a swagger of key players as many of the club’s star men may not be at Allianz Park beyond May.
Saracens stare into an uncertain future, but it may be the most interesting thing to happen in English rugby for years and years, argues @alexshawsport https://t.co/QQZOd5Dejq
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) January 20, 2020
“Of course there are going to be changes,” said Saracens director of rugby Mark McCall said on Sunday.
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“There’s no doubt the bunch of players we’ve got in our squad now aren’t going to be the same bunch of players we have in the Championship next year. That’s for sure.
“In many ways this is the end of that era that dates back to the start of 2009. We have got some time to plan for a new era, a new journey, and that is the optimistic way of looking at it.”
Star Welsh fullback Liam Williams has already confirmed he will rejoin PRO14 side Scarlets at the end of the current campaign, while it’s understood that British and Irish Lions lock George Kruis will leave for Japan in the coming months to ease Saracens’ financial burden.
After having played 18 tests for the Wallabies between 2014 and 2016, Skelton could join the duo in the departures lounge given that he is not qualified to play for England.
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Additionally, Fox Sports reports that the 27-year-old is earning close to £400,000 per year at Saracens, making him a leading candidate to be shown the door by the end of the season.
Skelton’s exit from Saracens could open up the door for Rugby Australia to swoop in and land the 2.03m, 125kg behemoth following an unsuccessful attempt to do so leading into last year’s World Cup.
Speaking to The Australian, RA director of rugby Scott Johnson said the governing body were eager to bring Skelton home.
“I can’t see them keeping anywhere near that team together and because he [Skelton] is not English, he will be one of the first under the spotlight,” Johnson said.
“We have spoken to his agent, and we are going to go heavy this week.”
However, Johnson conceded that the decision will ultimately be Skelton’s as he weighs up financial security in Europe or Japan against international ambitions in Australia.
“We are in a realistic chance at some stage to bring him back, if he wants to come back,” Johnson told The Australian.
“He’s going to make a decision on what he is doing this for. Is it money, or is it career? So he has to make that clear to us.
“For us, we won’t compete for the money. We’ll make a good offer. But I only want guys in the country who want to make a difference. He has apparently been saying the right things but, to be fair, he was always just trying to honour his contract.”
A move back to Australia would likely see Skelton reunited with the Waratahs after he helped guide them to their sole Super Rugby title in 2014 during his five-season stint at the franchise.
The Rebels and Brumbies could also be in the running for Skelton’s services, though, as both clubs lack international star power in their second row following the exits of the likes of Adam Coleman, Rory Arnold and Sam Carter over the off-season.
As the liquorice all-sorts of Australian rugby, the @MelbourneRebels have the potential to go far in 2020.https://t.co/JfwTqTzzFE
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) January 20, 2020
Although players can be selected for England from the Championship, there is precedent for it, which could lead to significant ramifications for both Eddie Jones and British and Irish Lions head coach Warren Gatland.
Six Saracens players were selected in England’s World Cup final defeat to the Springboks two months ago, and the club would have been significantly represented in the Lions’ tour of South Africa next year had they remained afloat in the Premiership.
Consequently, Jones may choose to activate England’s exceptional circumstances rule to allow them to select key players, such as Owen Farrell and Maro Itoje, should they commit themselves to offshore clubs beyond this season.
A total of seven players – Farrell, Itoje, Jamie George, Mako Vunipola, Elliot Daly, Kruis and Ben Earl – were named in Jones’ 34-man Six Nations squad on Monday.
Urgent talks with both Jones and Gatland are being sought by Saracens with regard to international player selection for both England and the Lions.
“Every player has got a slightly different situation,” McCall said.
“We’ll also have to talk to Eddie Jones and see what he thinks, in terms of his established players from Saracens and the younger ones. Is he prepared for people to be playing in the Championship?”
In other news:
Comments on RugbyPass
“But with an exceptional pass accuracy rating “ Which apart from Roigard is not a feature of any of the other 9s in NZ. Kind of basic for a Black 9 dont.you. think? Yet we keep seeing FC and TJ being rated ahead of him? Weird if it’s seen as vital to get our backline beating in your face defences.
1 Go to commentsThanks BeeMc! Looks like many teams need extra time to settle from the quadrennial northern migration. I think generally the quality of the Rugby has held up. Fiji has been fantastic and fun to watch
13 Go to commentsLets compare apples with apples. Lyon sent weak team the week before, but nobody raised an eyebrow. Give the South African teams a few years to build their depth, then you will be moaning that the teams are too strong.
41 Go to commentsDid footballs agents also perform the scout role at some time? I’m surprised more high profile players haven’t taken up the occupation, great way to remain in the game and use all that experience without really requiring a lot of specific expertise?
1 Go to commentsSuper rugby is struggling but that has little to do with sabbaticals. 1. Too many teams from Aust and NZ - should be 3 and 4 respectively, add in 2 from Japan, 1 possibly 2 from Argentina. 2. Inconsistent and poor refereeing, admittedly not restricted to Super rugby. Only one team was reffed at the breakdown in Reds v H’Landers match. Scrum penalty awarded in Canes v Drua when No 8 had the ball in the open with little defence nearby - ideal opportunity to play advantage. Coming back to Reds match - same scrum situation but ref played advantage - Landers made 10 yards and were penalised at the breakdown when the ref should have returned to scrum penalty. 3. Marketing is weak and losing ground to AFL and NRL. Playing 2 days compared with 4. 4. Scheduling is unattractive to family attendance. Have any franchises heard of Sundays 2pm?
11 Go to commentsAbsolutely..all they need is a chance in yhe playoffs and I bet all the other teams will be nervous…THEY KNOW HOW TO WIN IM THE PLAYOFFS..
2 Go to commentsI really hope he comes back and helps out with some coaching.
1 Go to commentsI think we are all just hoping that the Olympic 7s doesn’t suffer the same sad fate as the last RWC with the officials ruining the spectacle.
1 Go to commentsPersonally, I’ve lost the will to even be bothered about the RFU, the structure, the participants. It’s all a sham. I now simply enjoy getting a group of friends together to go and watch a few games a year in different locations (including Europe, the championship, etc). I feel extremely sorry for the real fans of these clubs who are constantly ignored by the RFU and other administrators. I feel especially sorry for the fans of clubs in the Championship who have had considerable central funding stripped away and are then expected to just take whatever the RFU put to them. Its all a sham, especially if the failed clubs are allowed to return.
9 Go to commentsI’m guessing Carl Hayman would have preferred to have stayed in NZ with benefit of hindsight. Up north there is the expectation to play twice as many games with far less ‘player management’ protocols that Paul is now criticising. Less playing through concussions means longer, healthier, careers. Carter used as the eg here by Paul, his sabbatical allowed him to play until age 37. OK its not an exact science but there is far more expectations on players who sign for Top 14 or Engl Prem clubs to get value for the huge salaries. NZR get alot wrong but keeping their best players in NZ rugby is not one of them. SA clubs are virtually devoid of their top players now, no thanks. They cant threaten the big teams in the Champions Cup, the squads have little depth. Cant see Canes/Chiefs struggling. Super has been great this year, fantastic high skill matches. Drua a fantastic addition and Jaguares will add another quality team eventually. Aus teams performing strongly and no doubt will benefit with the incentive of a Lions tour and a home RWC. Let Jordie enjoy his time with Leinster, it will allow the opportunity for another player to emerge at Canes in his absence.
11 Go to commentsLove that man, his way to despise angry little men is so funny ! 😂
4 Go to comments“South African franchises would be powerhouses if we had all our overseas based players back in situ. We would have the same unbeatable aura the Toulouses, Leinsters or Saracens of this world have had over the last decade or so.” Proof that Jake white does not understand the economics of the game in SA. Players earning abroad are not going to simply come back and represent the bulls. But they might if they have a springbok contract.
22 Go to commentsA lot of fans just joined in for the fun of it! We all admire O'Gara and what he has done for La Rochelle
4 Go to commentsThe RFU will find a way to mess this up as usual. My bet is there will be no promotion into the the Premiership, only relegation into National League One. Hopefully they won’t parachute failed clubs into the league at the expense of clubs who have battled for promotion.
9 Go to commentsWell that’s the contracts for RG and Jordie bought and paid for. Now, what are the chances we can persuade Antoine to hop over with all the extra dosh we’ll have from living at the Aviva & Croke next season…??? 🤑🤑🤑
35 Go to commentsWow, that’s incredible. Great for rugby.
35 Go to commentsYou probably read that parling is going to coach the wallaby lineout but if not before now you have.
14 Go to commentsIf someone like Leo Cullen was in O’Gara’s place I don’t hear Boo-ing. It’s not just that La Rochelle has hurt Leinster and O’Gara is their Irish boss. It’s the needle that he brings and the pantomime activity before the game around pretending that Munster were supporting LaRochelle just because O’Gara is from Cork. That’s dividing Irish provinces just to get an advantage for his French Team. He can F*ck right off with that. BOOOOO! (but not while someone is lying injured)
4 Go to commentsDid the highlanders party too hard before the game? They were the pits.
1 Go to commentsWhat a player! Not long until he’s in the England side, surely?
5 Go to comments