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The biggest scandal ever to hit English rugby is getting bigger - Andy Goode
The snowball is finally becoming an avalanche and the Saracens salary cap saga is undeniably now the biggest scandal ever to hit English club rugby.
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The word is that the players have been informed and the club is set to accept another 35-point penalty, meaning certain relegation from the Premiership at the end of the season. There’s no arguing now, this is bigger than bloodgate.
Saracens accepted a 35-point deduction and £5.3million fine a couple of months ago in mid-November but not much has changed publicly since then and things looks set to get worse.
The 35-point deduction is set out in Premiership Rugby’s regulations for breaches of over £650,000 but those same regulations also state that the sanctions “represent the starting point and the Disciplinary Panel shall have the discretion to increase or decrease the points sanction”.
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WATCH: Jim Hamilton sits down to discuss all the rugby news of the week, with particular focus on the Six Nations and Japanese league.
There was a Premiership Rugby board meeting on Tuesday and it does look like Saracens’ punishment is about to get even more hefty with the latest development having severe and lasting repercussions.
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It’s a very difficult situation for the players and this is absolutely not their fault but they reportedly aren’t keen on taking pay cuts and understandably so.
I was involved in a situation at Brive where pay cuts were mentioned and the players all sat in a room and some of them said we should do it but then people go home to their families and it isn’t so straightforward.
You have to look at each individual player on a case by case basis but if they do get relegated, a lot of them will definitely have to leave.
There are some world class players in that squad and, while it would be a wrench for them to leave, they may feel they have to. Whether they can find a new club in England that will pay them close to what they currently earn is another matter.
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That could be another knock-on effect if they’re forced to consider moving abroad – what are the implications for England and Eddie Jones then?
In addition to the impact on the players, there will be a significant knock-on effect for the league. If they know they are to be relegated, how will Saracens approach their remaining games this season?
Whatever happens now, this is without doubt a tarnished Premiership season.
We still wait to see how many, if any, of the details behind the punishments will become public but things have moved from rumour to fact in Premiership Rugby’s eyes and they had to act.
We don’t know whether Laura Lambert’s initial report in the Daily Mail was the catalyst or whether there was an ongoing investigation that would’ve reached this end game anyway, and let’s not forget that Premiership Rugby has a new CEO this season in Darren Childs as well, but the important thing is that action is being taken.
The only way to fix the situation and ensure the salary cap is respected moving forwards was to administer severe penalties. You have to remember that the salary cap is there to protect the clubs and ensure financial sustainability as well as a fair league.
It’s the people at the very top of the club who are responsible for this and the noises coming out of Saracens have changed drastically over the past couple of months.
In the immediate aftermath of the news breaking in November, they stated that they were “complying strictly with the salary cap regulations in the current season and will continue to work transparently with Premiership Rugby in this regard”.
If another 35-point deduction is being handed out, people will rightly assume that isn’t the case.
Ed Griffiths returned to the club as CEO acknowledging that changes need to be made and we haven’t seen any publicly yet. It has been widely reported that Liam Williams has left the club but even that hasn’t been confirmed and we’ve seen nothing else.
I can’t remember who’s won which titles except for the ones that I was involved in so I’m not one for insisting that they have to be stripped of their titles but the public just need to see that changes have been made and their squad isn’t as strong as a result.
There will be more to come out in the days and weeks ahead but, make no mistake, this is the biggest scandal we’ve seen in English club rugby and the after-effects will be felt for years to come.
Comments on RugbyPass
True Jordie could earn a lot more in Japan. But by choosing Leinster he’ll be playing with 1 of the best clubs in the world and can win a champions cup and URC…..
6 Go to commentsThanks for that Marshy, noticed you didn't say who is gonna win it. We know who ain't gonna win it - your Crusaders outfit. They've gone from having arguably the best Super Rugby first five ever, to having a clutch of rookies. Hurricanes all the way!
1 Go to commentsGeez you really have to question the NRLs ability to produce players of quality. Its pathetic. Dont the 25mil in Aus produce enough quality womens players. Sad.
1 Go to commentsBulls fan here, and agree 100% with the conclusion (and little else) of this article. SA sides should absolutely f-off from the champs cup until we get fair scheduling, equal support for travel arrangements and home semis. You know, like all the european teams get.
21 Go to commentsI’m yet to see why Grace would be an ABs contender. He’s pedestrian and lacks the dominance required of a top flight 8.
10 Go to commentsGee my Highlanders were terrible. They have gone backwards since the start of the season. The trouble began when we left Millar behind to prep as the 10 against the Brumbies and he was disconnected from the team that came back from Aussie. We rested Patchell for that game and we blew an avalanche of ball in good attacking positions in the 1st half. Against the Rebels we seem to of gone into a pod system with forwards hanging off from the breakdown leaving Fakatava to secure our ball!
78 Go to commentsPot Kettle, the English and French teams have done it for years.
21 Go to commentsHas virtually played every minute of previous games. Back row of Li Lo Willie , Grace and Blackadder would be the 1. Crusaders issue is a very average 1st 5 who cannot run. Kicking in general play is also below par They need to put Yong Kemara in. He must have so.e talent for them to bring him down from Waikato. Hoehepa would struggle to play in so.e club sided
10 Go to commentsI hope this a good thing making all these changes!
2 Go to commentsThe Hurricanes are good, especially with a decent coach now. However, let’s be real, the Crusaders and Chiefs are clearly a good degree weaker without the players they’ve lost overseas now. The Canes lost one player. It’s also why the aussie teams ‘seem’ to be stronger.
9 Go to commentsOr you could develop your own players instead of constantly taking from the SH competition and weakening it in the process? With all the player and financial resources these unions have compared to SH countries you’d think they could manage that, or is weakening the SH comps and their national sides an added bonus? Probably.
3 Go to commentsNot so fast Aaron, we might need you in black yet lol. God knows he’d be a lot less nerve-racking than hot and (very) cold players like Perofeta. It’s really a shame Reuben Love isn’t playing 10, we’ve got enough 15 options.
4 Go to commentsAnd those from the NH still seem to be puzzled (and delighted) why NZ’s depth isn’t what it once was. Over 600 NZ players overseas, that’s insane. This sort of deal is why Super Rugby coaches have admitted they struggle now to find enough quality to fill out their squads.
6 Go to commentsArticle intéressant ! La question devrait régulièrement se poser pour les jeunes français originaires de Nouvelle-Calédonie, Wallis-et-Futuna et de Polynésie entre la Nouvelle-Zélande et la Métropole… Difficile pour la fédération française de rugby de se positionner : soit le choix est fait de dénicher les jeunes talents et de les faire venir très tôt en Métropole, au risque de les déraciner, soit on prend le risque de se les faire “piller” par les All Blacks qui, telle une araignée, essaye de récupérer tous les talents des îles du Pacifique… À la France de se défendre en développant l’aura du XV de France et des clubs français dans ses collectivités d’Outre-mer !
3 Go to commentsWrong bay. He needs to come to the REAL BAY which is Bay Of Plenty and have a crack at making the Chiefs.
3 Go to commentsIs Barrett going play full back??? They already have all the centers…
16 Go to commentsForgive my ignorance, I might not fully understand so would appreciate clarification: Didn’t the Bulls have to fly with three different carriers, paid for by the South African Rugby Union, whilst Edinburgh got a chartered flight sponsored by EPCR? Also, as far as I understand it South African teams don’t yet share in the revenue from the competition and are not allowed to host Semi-finals or Finals at home. Surely if everyone wants South Africans to “take the competition seriously” then they must make South Africans feel welcome, allow them to share in the revenue, and give them the same levels of access as the teams from the other countries. Just a reminder that South Africa has a large and passionate Rugby audience. Just by virtue of our teams being a part of these competitions means that more of us are likely to watch the knockout games, even if our teams haven’t qualified. It would be silly to alienate such a large audience by making them feel unwelcome.
21 Go to commentsFirst of all. This guy is very much behind the curve. All the bleating, whingeing, whining and moaning took place days ago already. Not adding anything to the topic other than more bleating, whingeing, whining and moaning. 🍼 Second of all, not one mention of the fact that South African teams can’t get home semi finals or finals. The tournament was undermined and devalued by the administrators. 🤡 Thirdly, football teams often have to juggle selections in mid week games, premier games, champions league games etc. and will from time to time prioritize certain titles over others. 🐒 And lastly FEK Neil, and anyone else for that matter, for insisting on telling teams how to manage themselves. If they make what is largely a business decision that suits them and doesn’t suit you - tough shite. 💩 It’s not rocket science as to why the Bulls did what they did. If this guy is too slow to figure it out (and is deliberately not mentioning one of the key reasons why) then he isn’t a journalist. He should join the rest of us pundit plebs in comments section. 🥴
21 Go to commentsSo the first door to knock on Rob is Parliament followed by HMRC. The Irish Revenue deliver a 40% tax relief rebate on the HIGHEST EARNING TEN YEARS of every pro Irish rugby players contract earnings at retirement. That goes a long way to both retaining their best talent and freeing up wages for marquee players. Who knows, if that had been in place in the UK, you might not have been able to poach Hoggy and Jonny Gray from Glasgow…!!!
3 Go to comments1. True, if that “free” ticket means access to all but the prized exhibit - EVIP only. SA cannot host semis, even if they’ve earned it (see Sharks vs ASM Clermont Auvergne at… Twickenham Stoop). 2. Why no selective outrage over Lyon doing the exact same thing a week earlier? Out of all the countries France send the most “B teams”, why nobody talking about “disrespect” and “prioritising domestic leagues” and “kicking them out”? 3. Why no mention of the Sharks fielding all of their Springboks for the second rate Challenge cup QF? No commitment? 4. Why no mention of all the SA teams qualifying for respective euro knock out comps in the two seasons they’ve been in it? How many euro teams have qualified for KO’s in their history? Can’t compete? 5. Why no mention of SA teams beating French and English giants La Rochelle and Saracens? How many euro teams have done that in their history? Add no quality? The fact is that SA teams are only in their second season in europe, with no status and a fraction of the resources. Since joining the URC, SA has seen a repatriation of a number of players, and this will only grow once SA start sharing in the profits of competing in these comps, meaning bigger squads with greater depth and quality, meaning they don’t have to prioritise comps as they have to now - they don’t have imports from Pacifica and South America and everywhere else in between like “European” teams have - also less “Saffas” in Prem and T14, that’s what we want right? 'If the South Africans are in, they need to be all in' True, and we have to ensure we give them the same status and resources as we give everyone else to do just that. A small compromise on scheduling will go a long way in avoiding these situations, but guess what, France and England wont compromise on scheduling because they ironically… prioritise their domestic comps, go figure!
21 Go to comments