The affair has shown the regulations are ineffective as a deterrent and clubs stoke their own inflationary pressures
The end of an era was how Mark McCall described Saracens’ relegation to the Championship but will it also mark the end of a way of life? Will a club that has in the last 10 years based its squad around a core of English players it has either produced or signed young look to recruit from outside and minimise the financial impact of a player quickly going from a paltry wage to a substantial one after being capped by England?
Two months after protesting they had not breached the Premiership’s salary cap regulations and would appeal against the fine and loss of points, Saracens accepted they were over again this season and, given that they anticipated a not guilty verdict, took no steps to ensure they would comply this season as the leak of the 103-page report shows. Rather than wait for another hearing and the unlimited points deduction next season a panel would have had the power to impose on a repeat offender, they accepted demotion: it remains to be seen whether they receive the parachute payment of some £2m or whether it is forfeited in lieu of another fine.
Related: Saracens scandal shatters rugby union’s illusion it ever held the moral high ground | Marina Hyde
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