Saracens’ new CEO sorry for pay ‘mistakes’
Saracens’ incoming chief executive, Edward Griffiths, has moved quickly to establish a new way forward for the under-fire club by promising they will look to overhaul their set-up to ensure that they are “within the salary cap for this season as well as for future seasons”. Griffiths has also apologised for the club’s “past mistakes”.
Griffiths, who left Saracens in 2015, was only appointed on Thursday in a firefighting capacity to right the wrongs of recent years that led to the club being deducted 35 points and fined £5.36 million for what were deemed to be significant transgressions of Premier Rugby’s salary cap regulations over the past three seasons.
Nigel Wray, long-standing benefactor, chairman and prime investor in the London club since the game turned professional in the mid-Nineties, relinquished his roles on Thursday in recognition of how serious an issue the fallout from the sanctions had been.
Exeter, who lost two of the Premiership finals in which Saracens were crowned champions during their years of identified malpractice over the salary cap breach, have been the most vocal critics with chairman Tony Rowe initially threatening legal action as well as leading calls for them to be stripped of their titles.
Griffiths, who previously spent seven years as chief executive at the club before leaving to set up his own consultancy, has recognised the urgent need to create a clean slate and to assure Saracens’ rivals that they are sincere in their willingness not just to operate within the salary cap (currently £7 million plus two marquee player additions) but to be seen to be doing so.
Griffiths wants to ensure there are no more mutterings about how the club maintain a large squad plus retain highprofile individuals such as England’s Owen Farrell, Maro Itoje, Jamie George and the Vunipola brothers, Billy and Mako. “We are unequivocally committed to operating within the salary-cap regulations and we will very shortly be implementing the actions required to underpin these words,” Griffiths told The Sunday Telegraph. “As a club we have made mistakes and we unreservedly apologise for those mistakes.”
Worcester were last night awaiting reports on the condition of Michael Fatialofa after the lock was taken to hospital with what appeared to be a serious neck injury.
Fatialofa, the 27-year-old from Auckland, had been on the pitch for just over a minute when he was hurt while taking the ball into contact.
Play was held up for almost 10 minutes as medical staff attended to him and, once carried from the pitch on a stretcher, he was taken by ambulance to St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington. He stayed there overnight.
Worcester director of rugby Alan Solomons said: “A neck injury like that is a massive concern and I am worried. It seemed like he dropped his head as he went into contact. It seems like he’s taken a blow to the neck.
“The medics have taken all precautions and have done everything possible. We’ve contacted his partner to let her know.” Saracens director of rugby Mark McCall added: “Our thoughts are with Michael. It didn’t look great.”
McCall’s side put up a dominant and impressive 10-try performance to demolish Worcester. For the hosts, the only low point was an injury to prop Mako Vunipola, but McCall said his England prop had merely sustained a “stinger” to his neck from Anton Bresler’s challenge, which forced him to miss the second half.
McCall admitted Nigel Wray’s decision to step down as long-time chairman may have partly inspired his side, but believed it was more likely their failure to stop Exeter Chiefs from grabbing a psychological advantage the week before that motivated them.
McCall, whose side now focus on the next round of European games with Ospreys up first next Saturday, said: “The chairman’s decision to stand down may have had an effect but I think the players were frustrated by what happened at Exeter last week and wanted to show their best.”
A sixth win in eight Premiership games was never in doubt once Sarries hit their straps. Having been deducted 35 points over the salary-cap breach, they are now on the verge of being back into positive points territory. On this evidence, it may not be long before they begin the ascent towards the top half, top six and perhaps top four.
In their first game since owner Wray stepped down as chairman, the players took it upon themselves to prove that while there may be disruption off the field, there remains stoic, defiant unity on it.
It took just over six minutes for the hosts to cross the Warriors line. A sweeping move across field, sparked by wing Rotimi Segun’s burst through the middle, left the visitors scrambling to recover the situation. The ball was moved into the hands of the oncoming Ben Earl, and the flanker twisted and turned his frame over the line for an opening try converted by Owen Farrell.
Segun, a late replacement for the injured Sean Maitland, was soon celebrating a try. Another swift Sarries move allowed the wing to press the accelerator and use his pace and agility to dive over in the right hand corner.
A third try was denied by desperate Worcester defending with wing Alex Lewington held up as he wriggled over the line but could not ground the ball. But moments later the visitors failed to come up with the strength to stop Brad Barritt claiming the try following a Sarries driving maul.
Mako Vunipola crashed over for the bonus-point try. Taking the ball from close range and using his bulk to defy the last tackler after Farrell had instigated the attack, he collected his own chip through and passed to Billy Vunipola before it finally landed back in the hands of his brother. Farrell converted and the game had already drifted away from Warriors.
Farrell was penalised for a no-arms tackle on wing Tom Howe as Warriors enjoyed a rare spell of pressure on the Saracens line but it was the visitors who were reduced to 14 men on the stroke of half-time. Lock Bresler was deservedly shown a yellow card for trying to clear out Mako Vunipola from a ruck with a forearm to the head.
The mitigating circumstances around Farrell’s challenge, meanwhile, will likely rule out any further action: Howe was falling forward at the time.
There was still time for Farrell’s chip across field to find Segun to stroll over for his second try and Sarries’ fifth, and Warriors slumped off with heads down to regather their thoughts and come up with a plan to avoid a complete humiliation. Unfortunately for the visitors, it was always going to be an impossible mission, even though the hosts came out for the second half minus Mako Vunipola who had clearly not recovered from the hit by Bresler.
His loosehead replacement, Richard Barrington, was soon burrowing his way across the Warriors line and Maro Itoje did the same moments later as Worcester’s suffering continued.
Wing Ed Fidow managed to lift Warriors’ spirits slightly by racing onto his own chip through and crossing for his side’s only try.
Segun fed replacement Duncan Taylor to bring up the half century, while another bench man, Jackson Wray, also surged over. Elliot Daly finished the rout with the 10th try at the death.