ENGLISH AND EUROPEAN champions Saracens have been docked 35 points and fined £5.36 million (€6.2m) for breaching the Premiership Rugby salary cap over several seasons, Premiership Rugby announced today.
Saracens — who provided nine of the England squad that reached last Saturday’s Rugby World Cup final — had been subject to a nine-month investigation.
An independent panel adjudicated that they had indeed contravened the salary cap — which is set at £7m (€8.1m) a year.
“The decision of the Independent Panel is that Saracens Rugby Club failed to disclose payments to players in each of the seasons 2016-17, 2017-18 and 2018-19,” read a statement from Premiership Rugby.
“In addition, the Club is found to have exceeded the ceiling for payments to senior players in each of the three seasons. The Panel therefore upheld all of the charges.
The sanction that has been imposed on Saracens Rugby Club by the panel is: a total fine of £5,360,272.31 and a total deduction of 35 league points.”
Saracens who topped the Premiership table last season with 78 points — before going on to beat Exeter in the final will begin the fourth round of matches on -26 points.
Newcastle Falcons finished bottom last season with 31.
“The Salary Cap Regulations stipulate that a points deduction may be imposed in the current season (2019-20) only,” read the statement.
“The sanction has no bearing on any other domestic or European competition.”
Saracens can seek a review of the decision by an arbitration body but it is only able to on the strictest of terms.
“The review can only be on the basis that there has been an error of law, the decision is irrational or that there has been some procedural unfairness,” read the statement.
“In the event that Saracens Rugby Club seeks a review, the sanctions will be suspended pending the outcome of that review.”
Saracens have dominated domestic and to a certain extent European rugby in the past decade winning the Premiership five times and the European trophy on three occasions.
Their squad reads like a who’s who of English rugby with Owen Farrell, Maro Itoje and Jamie George to name but three whilst they also have other World Cup stars in Wales’s Liam Williams and Scotland’s Duncan Taylor.
Tuesday’s judgment will bring huge pressure on the club to be able to retain some of those stars.
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Corofin were on a different level today but it was still head scratching result and performance from Clann naGael, especially when you consider Brigids brought Corofin with both Burkes playing to extra time last year.
That Clann player didn’t deserve a red.
@Eamonn Ó Maoldomhnaigh: ah come off it, surely had to be red, he lost the plot and knew it himself, didn’t even complain.
@mike Kennedy: I was waiting for you!
He should have got 3 reds!
@mike Kennedy: Amazed that 8 people ( assuming they are people) agreed with me!
@Eamonn Ó Maoldomhnaigh: he should have been sent off in the country final as well.
@Eamonn Ó Maoldomhnaigh: you got me Good, hook line and sinker!!!! aaaaahh