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.
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.
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.
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
I hope Leinster’s proud of themselves fielding a poor team. They should decide if they’re all in or not.
1 Go to commentsJordie is looking at 16 games maximum if Leinster reach both the URC and champions cup finals. Thats not guaranteed. Some of those home URC fixtures will be cakewalks as well for Leinster and there is not much doing during the 6 nations in Feb and March so he can probably get a decent rest then. He will have to really put in it for maybe 7 or 8 games max. It should be a good move for both.
13 Go to commentsThe game was a quarter final, not a semi final. Barrett will be here for 6 months, he is no one's replacement at 13. That mantle will most likely ultimately go to Jamie Osborne, though Garry Ringrose has at least 4 more years in him. The long term problem position (in the next 3 years) for Leinster is tighthead prop, though there are a couple of prospects at schools level.
25 Go to commentsSo much for all that hype surrounding the ‘revival’ of Aussie rugby. The Blues were without the likes of regular starters Perofeta, Sullivan, Christie etc… This was a capitulation of the highest order by Australia’s finest. Joe Schmidt definitely has his work cut out for him.
2 Go to commentsYes they can ignore Sotutu. Like Akira Ioane plays OK at Super level but gets lost in tests. Too many chances too many failures.
2 Go to commentsA wallaby front-row of Bell, Blake and Tupou…now that would be hefty
1 Go to comments“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?
13 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.
10 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.
13 Go to commentsLove that man, his way to despise angry little men is so funny ! 😂
6 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.
25 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
6 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.
10 Go to comments