Has the Bath and Saracens fiscal cookie crumbled?

[sapajo]

Quoting from the Daily Mail "Saracens and Bath face heavy fines and point deductions over alleged breaches of salary cap regulations"


http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/rugbyu ... tions.html

[ellis9]

Hahahaha. Funny. Hahahaha. Sorry I can't stop laughing. Hahahahahaha

[RagingBull]

People go on about us and not using our academy but when you look at that Bath backline and when they have brought the players in. (whilst their stock was up)

stringer
Ford
Roko
Eastmond
Joesph
Watson
Burgess

It's not like Bath had loads of English internationals before hand or were a major success in the PRL (When was the last time they were in the top 4?).

[Spicer]

If this turns out to be true then, it will be a very merry Christmas.

[fortysix]

Brilliant hope they both get pinged big time, Saracens arrogance, typical of Afrikkaners, is way beyond a joke. Just amazed their purchases haven't been very good for the vast money they spend.....d

[drc_007]

Whilst I would normally view any "news" in the Daily Mail with a healthy pinch of salt I have to concede that in recent years their reporting of English rugby has been surprisingly accurate.

[JackFlashJonny]

Sapajo you have made my day this is brilliant news thanks for spotting it!!

Also find the list of top earners a very interesting read..

WOW is Ashton a waste of money...

[Big Dai]

...........Glass houses, stones and all...............are we whiter than white here?

[Richard]

This is probably why Griffiths has changed his mind and asking for the salary cap to be removed.

[mol2]

Well, well.

As I said before (and got told I was naive) there is pretty much no way of the league tracing payments overseas - unless someone blabs. Looks like they may well have done.

The salary cap may well crumble and there will be implications for the game.
Could there be a split between sides accepting the salary cap and those that don't. 2 Leagues perhaps? It may mean some sides go to the wall and some are freed to compete with the French sides.

However the French money bubble may burst if the EU continue to look into sponsorship by government and state owned businesses. Just how much TV and sponsor money is in rugby when the sugar daddy sponsorship is forgotten!

[h's dad]

Well, well.

As I said before (and got told I was naive) there is pretty much no way of the league tracing payments overseas - unless someone blabs. Looks like they may well have done.

The salary cap may well crumble and there will be implications for the game.
Could there be a split between sides accepting the salary cap and those that don't. 2 Leagues perhaps? It may mean some sides go to the wall and some are freed to compete with the French sides.

However the French money bubble may burst if the EU continue to look into sponsorship by government and state owned businesses. Just how much TV and sponsor money is in rugby when the sugar daddy sponsorship is forgotten!

I don't think you made that caveat whereas whistleblowing is a documented piece of the toolkit. Clubs that make material breaches will be found out sooner or later.
I don't think there will be a split as those who do want to spend more will then be fish in a much smaller pool which is not what they want.
We'll have to see how France goes although I think I am as cynical about that as you are about the salary cap.

[jgriffin]

It must be three years ago when we had a thread about Saffacens and how they could afford two first teams - think it was Smit supposedly playing on a pittance that really made me laugh.
About time, but I don't hold out much hope unless further whistleblowers come forth e.g. several ex-players and/or agents.
If proven, hope some posters agree that the old cynics were right!

[voice of the crumbie]

I have a proposal to allow the breachers to stay in the premiership. How about the following:
1. the salary cap remains
2. a club can choose to spend above it but for every £(insert sensible amount) or fraction thereof they are deducted a point and start the season on minus figures. They decalre this before the season starts. They also pay a fine into a central fund for player welfare / injury insurance etc
3. the policing regime remains to check the clubs' spending and oversee the welfare fund

Any thoughts?

[4071]

Sapajo you have made my day this is brilliant news thanks for spotting it!!

Also find the list of top earners a very interesting read..

WOW is Ashton a waste of money...

Not really. He's bagged 35 tries in 61 Premiership/European games for Sarries and has been so poor at international level that they get to keep hold of him all season.

He's like the Borthwick of the backs - he keeps producing the goods for Sarries whilst disappointing internationally.

[4071]

People go on about us and not using our academy but when you look at that Bath backline and when they have brought the players in. (whilst their stock was up)

stringer
Ford
Roko
Eastmond
Joesph
Watson
Burgess

It's not like Bath had loads of English internationals before hand or were a major success in the PRL (When was the last time they were in the top 4?).

Uh... Stringer was a pensioner dumped by Munster, Roko was a complete unknown, Ford was second choice at his club and most fans seemed happy to see the back of him, Eastmond was an untried League player, Watson was still an U20 level player, Burgess is an untried League player.

Joseph was a fairly safe signing, though.

Bath probably spashed out a lot of money on those players - more than the likes of Tigers would have done - but they were taking risks on most of them.