On this day in 2019: Sarries punished over salary cap saga

Planet Rugby

Saracens' fans wave flags during the Heineken Champions Cup, pool four match at Allianz Park, London. PA Photo. Picture date: Sunday January 19, 2020. See PA story RUGBYU Munster. Photo credit should read: Adam Davy/PA Wire. RESTRICTIONS: Editorial use only. No commercial use

On this day in 2019, Saracens were handed a fine of £5.3million and docked 35 points for repeated breaches of the Premiership Rugby Salary Cap.

Their punishment signalled the start of a prolonged saga which culminated with the club being relegated from the top flight in England.

Independent panel reached decision

Premiership Rugby announced that an independent disciplinary panel had reached a decision in respect of charges brought against the club for their failure to divulge payments to players during the 2016/17, 2017/18 and 2018/19 seasons.

Nigel Wray, club chairman at the time, described the punishment as “heavy handed” and an appeal was launched before weeks later he changed tack and conceded they “made mistakes” and “we must accept these penalties”.

Wray would step down from his role at the beginning of 2020 but his family continued to provide financial support, like it had for all of its time in the professional era.

More was to come in January, however, when Saracens accepted relegated to the Championship after Premiership Rugby handed out another punishment over the club’s failure to trim the wage bill significantly enough to prevent a further salary cap breach for the 2019/20 campaign.

A report into Saracens’ salary cap breaches was eventually published with the actions of then-domestic and European champions described as “reckless” by a damning independent report.

The coronavirus pandemic extended the club’s time in the Premiership a little longer, with the sport suspended before it returned in August by which time several key figures like Owen Farrell, Jamie George and Maro Itoje had committed their future to the north London-based outfit, who were still coached by Mark McCall.

After bowing out of the top flight in October and seeing the defence of their Champions Cup title also end, Saracens returned to action in March in the Championship but their tier-two stay was brief following a two-legged play-off final victory over Ealing Trailfinders in June.

Since being back in the Premiership, McCall’s side have won five of their opening six fixtures to sit second in the table, having also been the subject of a £32m takeover in October which saw Wray sell his controlling stake to a consortium headed by Enstar’s chief executive Dominic Silvester and which includes ex-Sarries star Francois Pienaar.