Saracens docked 35 points

[BG]

We have a resident lurking QS here somewhere.. £23m for a 3000 seat stand seems somewhat expensive

[Tervueren]

It is a mere £7,666.66 per seat, pretty cheap for round there.

[JF]

A Council spokesperson told i: “Barnet Council is extremely proud to host Saracens in the borough. They are an important partner and have supported our community in a number of ways..."

Maybe they can get my black bin emptied, those scrotes haven't done it for three weeks.

I'm surprised that Barnet has the cash to spare, the roads and pavements are a disgrace.

[welsh wasp]

I’m still wondering how they can now claim to be within the cap - so don’t need to lose any players.
Brits & our new No.8 left at the end of last season. Singleton & Daly arrived.
So where’s the saving? All in closing the co-partnerships?.

[BG]

Daly will surely be on more than Brits was on seeing as Brits contract was probably signed 3 years ago..

Vailanu's wage might have been the same as Singleton's.

Putting my tin hat on.. With EJ selecting Singleton, who was barely used (did he play?) .. that means more credits for Sarries via the EPS.. handy for Sarries!

[Hymenoptera]

I’m still wondering how they can now claim to be within the cap - so don’t need to lose any players.
Brits & our new No.8 left at the end of last season. Singleton & Daly arrived.
So where’s the saving? All in closing the co-partnerships?.

They lost Bosch, Schalk brits, Dom Day to my knowledge, might have been a another somewhere...there was that winger, Chris Whyleds..can't member if that was this or last season though.
But they have handed out new contracts to many over the last season or so, presumably increased salaries, such as Skelton ...

[westwaleswasp]

Singleton won't be cheap, he is an outstanding prospect and as Dai says, Daly left for more money than he was on.
Still stinks to me.
Does anyone here feel differently?
Genuine question, I just can't see how they can be within the cap.

[DGP Wasp]

Or if Leicester, Bath or Us happen to be in a relegation battle with the Cheats will their England players be excused too? It stinks.

It's unlikely to be a relegation scrap involving Sarries as -35 points in previous seasons would have seen them anywhere between about 6th and 10th, but they may well be touch and go for a European or at a push a play off place, where they may well be competing directly with the likes of Tigers, Saints, Glaws, Quins, Bath, Wasps, Bris, Sale, Chiefs who will be expected to release their players for the 6N as usual.

If there is even a whiff that England are not selecting Sarries players in order to give them a bit of a leg up in the league, then I can see other clubs refusing to release players and the EPS agreement disappearing down the toilet.

[matelot22]

Does anyone here feel differently?
Genuine question, I just can't see how they can be within the cap.

No. To my mind they've got away with a slapped wrist and will continue to cheat, just find another way around it. How can they possibly be allowed to keep the same squad?

[Tervueren]

Nature abhors a vacuum, so in the absence of any meaningful information (i.e. the report from the PRL) we all fill in the gaps.

If the PRL want the competition to have any credibility they should publish, and also make Saracens demonstrate how they can have such a squad without cheating. The onus is on Saracens to prove themselves innocent as only the most ardent denier will believe well of them as they were cheating the cap up to 2015, then again from 2015.

The PRL also need to get some credibility back for themselves.

[Neils]

Nature abhors a vacuum, so in the absence of any meaningful information (i.e. the report from the PRL) we all fill in the gaps.

If the PRL want the competition to have any credibility they should publish, and also make Saracens demonstrate how they can have such a squad without cheating. The onus is on Saracens to prove themselves innocent as only the most ardent denier will believe well of them as they were cheating the cap up to 2015, then again from 2015.

The PRL also need to get some credibility back for themselves.

Totally agree with this. PRL as it stands now have zero credibility.

[Rifleman Harris]

I was chatting to a Cheats fan (he didn't like me referring to them as the Cheats for some reason).  He came up with the usual guff; all academy players, international credits, it wasn't as bad as Bloodgate etc etc. I pointed out that any side with 29 internationals in it is unlikely to be under the cap.In response I got love of the club, player welfare etc as a reply. 

Anyway, he is expecting them to sneak into the playoffs and win the premiership as that would make the best sporting story of the year, how a persecuted club battled adversity and won!  He didn't like me telling him it would be the club cheating and winning! 

They just don't see what they have done wrong at all. He also expects EJ to rest the Cheat players as it would be detrimental to England to not let them help the Cheats.  Personally if that happens I hope all the other clubs withhold their players and bring the agreement to a swift end. The national side cannot be seen to be complicit wit the cheating that is going on at the moment.

[Hymenoptera]

Or if Leicester, Bath or Us happen to be in a relegation battle with the Cheats will their England players be excused too? It stinks.

It's unlikely to be a relegation scrap involving Sarries as -35 points in previous seasons would have seen them anywhere between about 6th and 10th, but they may well be touch and go for a European or at a push a play off place, where they may well be competing directly with the likes of Tigers, Saints, Glaws, Quins, Bath, Wasps, Bris, Sale, Chiefs who will be expected to release their players for the 6N as usual.

I agree.
They are currently 6 bonus point wins and 7 std wins from break even with 11th place. With 18 games yet to play, the odds are they will claw back into the bottom half. Quins, Wasps and Tigers really need to start kicking on. Sadly, we'll be 0 against Chiefs, then we play Quins, then Quins play Tigers...before you know it they are just 10 points behind the pack. Essentially if they just beat the bottom 3 they are back in it as we all play each other.
Even in a world cup year, followed by six nations it looks ominous.

[NorthYorksWasp]

Just to add to Cheats joys BBC sport website saying they’ve been fined an ‘undisclosed amount’ for their no show at the launch of the Euro Cup. I know they can afford it but it all heaps more on them. Keep it coming, more the merrier.

[welsh wasp]

Some comments:
- EJ had some kind of coaching role at Saracens a few years ago.
- Wray has gone from being very aggressive about the appeal to being very humble about accepting that he did wrong. Sounds like he has had a severe talking to from a lawyer. Is what they pay the new governance director within the cap!? No need for an answer.
- PRL should ask them to provide evidence of what they have done to ensure that they are now compliant with the cap. The leaders at the other clubs should ask for the same. They can’t just accept Wray’s word.