Nick Easter's radical salary suggestion for Saracens in the Championship

Former England and Harlequins No8 Nick Easter has outlined how Saracens’ automatic relegation to the Championship could actually benefit them. 

The reigning European and English champions agreed with Premiership Rugby to take relegation last weekend rather than consent to a full investigatory audit, having already been fined £5.36million in November and deducted 35 Premiership points. 

However, Easter - whose former club Harlequins provided a dossier to PRL regarding their investigation into Saracens’ breaching of the cap - has explained on Twitter how relegation could be the best for the dethroned champions in the long run. These were his three points: 

1 - Rest current stars prolonging careers;

2 - Blood youngsters for rest of Prem season and some of Champ season developing depth;

3 - With no cap in Champ pay stars (for example) three seasons salary, then return to Prem and pay them half or less of their worth leaving room in the cap for more international signings!

With many of the high-profile Saracens players expected to stay with the club next season and just play potential exhibition matches, this will not only benefit them for the season after, but it could help England and certainly the British and Irish Lions. 

With the Gallagher Premiership final next season set to take place only seven days before the Lions’ first match, Warren Gatland has implored to no avail that this showpiece fixture is moved forward. 

There is likely to be a large Saracens contingent in that Lions squad should they stay at the club, meaning they will be fresh at the end of next season. However, the players may only have the autumn and Six Nations windows to impress Gatland, which may work against them. 

With the raft of young players that Saracens have at their disposal currently, the Championship will certainly prove to be a perfect opportunity to give them exposure and playing time in preparation for the season after. 

This can happen while effectively giving the mainline players a sabbatical, which is a popular option for many players in the southern hemisphere. 

However, despite what Easter has suggested, this would not be an opportunity for Saracens to skirt around the salary cap again, as any promoted club in the Championship will not only need to prove that they were under the Premiership salary cap while in the tier below but declare they will be for the season after they have been promoted. 

Nonetheless, there clearly are some positives to take out of this situation Saracens find themselves in - and it could certainly be pleasing for Eddie Jones and Gatland. 

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