Northern Edition
Select Edition
Northern Northern
Southern Southern
Global Global
New Zealand New Zealand
France France

Premiership clubs face titles being stripped for future salary cap breaches

By PA
(Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)

Premiership clubs face being stripped of their titles for breaching salary cap regulations under increased powers recommended by an independent review. The review, led by former government minister Lord Myners, proposes greater flexibility for a disciplinary panel, including the ability to demand stiffer fines, a return of prize money and potential suspensions.

ADVERTISEMENT

The review follows this season’s punishment of Saracens for breaches of the salary cap and subsequent failure to provide proof of their immediate compliance to auditors. Saracens were docked 35 points and fined £5.36million before later submitting to automatic relegation to the Championship, but there was no means for Premiership Rugby to strip them of silverware the club had accrued during the disputed period.

In the review, Myners wrote: “It is my view that a broader array of sanctions should be available in relation to breaches of the senior ceiling and failure to co-operate. These sanctions, especially my proposed range of sporting sanctions, should help other clubs as well as the public at large to feel that justice is both done and seen to be done.”

Video Spacer

RugbyPass brings you the latest episode of Isolation Nation, the Sky NZ TV rugby programme

Video Spacer

RugbyPass brings you the latest episode of Isolation Nation, the Sky NZ TV rugby programme

The report’s recommendation 4.4 proposes to “make additional sporting sanctions available, including relegation, suspension, stripping of titles and a return of prize money”.

Responding to what Myners described as the most extreme and serious breaches, his report also proposed the appointment of an independent monitor who would be embedded within the operations of a breaching club in order to ensure compliance. Following the guilty verdict against Saracens, some rivals called for the club to be stripped of their 2018 and 2019 titles, but Premiership Rugby confirmed it did not have the regulations to do so.

Speaking after the publication of the report, Premiership Rugby chief executive Darren Childs said: “We welcome the comprehensive set of recommendations put forward by Lord Myners following the review and we are pleased to publish his report so that everyone has an opportunity to consider his conclusions.

“In the next stage of this process, we will consult carefully with our clubs and other stakeholders as we finalise the new salary cap regulations for the long-term benefit of our sport.”

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo vs Kubota Spears | Japan Rugby League One 2024/25 Final | Full Match Replay

Saitama Wild Knights vs Kobe Steelers | Japan Rugby League One 2024/25 Bronze Final | Full Match Replay

Boks Office | Episode 42 | Investec Champions Cup Final Review

Spain's Incredible Rugby Sevens Journey to the World Championship Final | HSBC SVNS Embedded | Episode 14

Australia vs USA | Pacific Four Series 2025 | Full Match Replay

New Zealand vs Canada | Pacific Four Series 2025 | Full Match Replay

South Africa vs New Zealand | The Rugby Championship U20's | Full Match Replay

The Game that Made Jonah Lomu

Trending on RugbyPass

Comments

0 Comments
Be the first to comment...

Join free and tell us what you really think!

Sign up for free
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest Features

Comments on RugbyPass

S
SK 25 minutes ago
The Reds' 'whimpering' exit shows Super Rugby scrums still matter

The Scrum remains a key platform in the game. There may be fewer set in SR Pacific and fewer penalties given but you cannot escape its importance and that is how it should be. The scrum cannot become an irrelevant thing in Rugby. It deserves its own space in the game however too much time is spent setting a scrum and thats where the refs need to be more strict. They need to demand effort from players and award 10metres or penalties if the scrums are not set fast enough by one team or the other. The sixty seconds to set will only help if its enforced strictly. The Refs in the Top 14, URC, Champs Cup and Prem have been too slack in adequately policing the times setting scrums. Too many teams simply dawdle at scrum time because they are on the back foot. Theres nothing more frustrating than watching a clock count down and players having a chat with the ref at scrum time or stand up because they packed in badly. Refs need to get serious on it. In 1995 scrums were set in seconds. The laws came in to make them safer but now its way too time consuming. I feel like too often refereeing is done according to feeling and not mandate. There needs to be consistent standards across the game. While SR referees will penalise a 9 for not using it in the 5 seconds it rarely happens in Europe. Andrew Brace did it this weekend to Embrose Papier but that was after like 10 seconds. The Refs need to get more assertive about time wasting and following the time limit guidelines and this needs to happen across all leagues at once. Only then will we have a game for all refereed at the same standard.

35 Go to comments
LONG READ
LONG READ Ireland’s summer tour of first and last chances as debate swirls over absentees Ireland’s summer tour of first and last chances as debate swirls over absentees
Search