Sarries docked 35 points for salary cap breach

Premiership champions Saracens are now in a relegation fight after being docked 35 points for a breach of salary cap regulations. The Allianz Park outfit have also been fined £5.36m following an investigation into business ventures involving chairman Nigel Wray and a few of the club’s players. The sanction is set to come into force with immediate effect but it is inevitable that Sarries will appeal and so the saga could run for a while before there is a definitive ruling. The charges levelled at the Hendon-based outfit relate to business partnerships between Wray and stars including England internationals Owen Farrell, Maro Itoje and the Vunipola brothers, who entered into investment or property partnerships with the owner. Player payments in each of the 2016-17, 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons were not disclosed and, after a seven-month investigation by Andrew Rodgers, Premiership Rugby’s salary cap manager, it was deemed that they have fallen foul of the rules. The deduction will put Saracens, who were fourth in the standings, bottom of the table on -26 points before their trip to Gloucester on Saturday. A statement from Premiership Rugby announced: “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.”