Saracens to be relegated from English Premiership over salary cap breaches

Saracens celebrate their 2019 European Champions Cup final win. Next season they'll be playing in the second tier of English rugby. Picture: Glyn Kirk/AFP via Getty Images

The title holders’ crashing fall from grace was confirmed by Premiership Rugby yesterday.

Winners of four league titles in the last five years, Saracens will play in the Championship next term.

The reigning European champions will contest a place in the Heineken Champions Cup quarter-finals today when they host French side Racing 92. But domestically, they have just five months left in the Premiership before exiting it and joining English rugby union’s second tier alongside clubs like Ampthill, Jersey and Hartpury.

Saracens faced the impossible task of reducing their wage bill by up to £2 million to comply with salary cap regulations for the current season.

Saracens were fined £5.36m and docked 35 points in November for being in breach of the salary cap for the last three seasons, but patience ran out among their Premiership rivals over their efforts to slash their existing wage bill.

Premiership Rugby chief executive Darren Childs said: “Premiership Rugby is prepared to take strong action to enforce the regulations governing fair competition between our clubs. At the conclusion of dialogue with Saracens about their compliance with the salary cap regulations, it has been decided that Saracens will be relegated at the end of this season.

“At the same time as enforcing the existing regulations, we want to ensure a level playing field for all clubs in the future, which is why we have asked Lord Myners to carry out an independently-led review of the salary cap.”

Saracens are currently bottom of the table with minus seven points, lying 18 points behind 11th-placed Leicester.