THIS HAS BEEN A RUNNING SORE
At last the league’s integrity is restored
THE JUDGMENT is certainly emphatic. Guilty. Very guilty. That is the message contained within the maximum points deduction and hefty fine which Saracens are desperately challenging.
There is another message, too; that the majority of Premiership clubs have had enough of the lack of basic sporting fairness. The playing field is supposed to be level, but it hasn’t been.
What this verdict does — following an investigation prompted by
Sportsmail’s explosive revelations — is re- establish the league’s integrity. For those familiar with the landscape of English rugby, there is no great shock that this has happened, just that it has taken so long to reach this point.
It cannot be good for the game that salary cap breaches have been an open secret for years. Previous instances have been swept under the carpet. There was a cynical assumption that the same thing would happen again this time. Remarkably, it has not.
This action, carried out in the name of Premiership Rugby, is a powerful statement of intent to clean up the competition. The whispering campaigns have gone on long enough.
Supporters and sponsors and those clubs who abided by the regulations were being duped. They will regard this judgment as belated justice.
Saracens owner Nigel Wray has given so much to the game, but the financial systems he presided over have been deemed unacceptable, despite his objections.
Joint investments in firms and properties should have been declared within the cap and were not — according to this forensic inquiry. Most people would consider that common sense. It would be a shock if the review comes close to overturning this judgment, given the weight of legal and accounting expertise which has gone into it.
Perhaps a loophole will be identified. The vast majority involved at the top of the domestic game will hope that does not happen.
A minority will dismiss any criticism and suggest Saracens were just finding marginal gains, but the majority view is that this was a blight on the sport.
England players have privately damned clubs exceeding the salary cap — accusing them of ‘financial doping’.
To those who represent clubs which stay within the agreed boundaries, this has been a running sore, akin to the use of performance- enhancing drugs. There is a lot of strong feeling among players, coaches and administrators, but few people have been willing to stick their head above the parapet.
To all the aggrieved, this must feel like powerful justice, but already that mood is on hold, because Saracens have appealed. The process could drag on for months, which is farcical.
As yet, it is unclear if the champions are permitted to keep using their full squad. It has not been clarified if the group for this season takes them over the wage cap. Other clubs are in the dark and demanding guidance as a matter of urgency.
There is another side, though, with echoes of the Bloodgate scandal a decade ago. Then, Harlequins and their director of rugby Dean Richards were punished for using capsules of fake blood to convince referees that players were injured, facilitating extra tactical substitutions — but there was a perception that the practice had been rife.
Quins were the fall-guys for so many others who had been up to the same tricks.
Now, Saracens are taking a fall, but they are not the only club to have engaged in cap-busting activities over the years. These are not isolated breaches. Certain clubs will be fearful of historical inquiries being extended.
It is reasonable to feel sympathy, too. Players are not at fault in this. The hierarchy of the club is to blame.
And Saracens have developed a mass of home-grown talent, underpinning the England team in recent years and providing several players to the Lions. They still
deserve credit for being a centre of sporting excellence, and more allowance must be made within the salary cap system for clubs bringing talent through and then struggling to keep them due to wage inflation. But that does not alter the central fact.
Saracens have been found guilty of sustained cheating, and for that, harsh punishment is appropriate.