European Club Rugby
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@Bovidae said in NH club rugby:
When Tameifuna played for the Chiefs he was very mobile and fit despite his size. I'm not excusing his work ethic over there but it probably says a little about the standards in French club rugby too. Think of Bastareaud as another example.
He took so much hand holding by the coaches to stay at that (over) weight too. Little wonder that some senior AB supposedly told him that the only AB jersey he'd ever wear was the one for the squad photo.
Don't get me wrong, I loved him for the Chiefs, but he was miles away from staying an AB squaddie. For whatever reason, Akira seems to be in the same boat, whether that is for attitude or fitness, we still don't know
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English rugby giants Saracens have been slapped with an unprecedented 35-point deduction and £5million fine for breaching the salary cap.
It's a bombshell for the North London club and will send shockwaves through the global game with Saracens being the current Premiership and Heineken European Cup champions.
It now sees Saracens heading into next weekend's Premiership clash with Gloucester at Kingsholm on minus 26 points and in real danger of being relegated to the Greene King IPA Championship next season.
The punishment comes after a seven-month investigation involving Premiership Rugby and then specialist arbitrators Sport Resolutions, the outcome of which was delayed during the Rugby World Cup so as not to derail England's campaign.
In March a newspaper investigation reported investment partnerships between owner Nigel Wray and top players including England skipper Owen Farrell, Maro Itoje and Billy and Mako Vunipola. PRL launched a formal review in April, and it is understood the case was then passed to Sport Resolutions for a formal disciplinary panel late in the summer.
In addition to Farrell, Itoje and the Vunipola brothers, Saracens also have Liam Williams and Vincent Koch on their books and have signed England star Elliot Daly, from Wasps, for the coming season. -
@Daffy-Jaffy Holy smokes! I imagine they'll be able to make up those 26 points with that roster though...puts them 30 points behind Bath....only 6 bonus point wins isn't it?
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@gt12 said in NH club rugby:
Probably. Hmm.
I assume that the RFU will do fuck all (assuming this doesn't get turned over on appeal), which will mean that these guys will be essentially unpunished - will they not still make the playoffs and be in to win again?
Well, they'll take into the account that they are "rugby guys" firstly I suppose ...
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@gt12 Salary cap might only apply in the Premiership as there probably is no cap in the Top 14. Thus come European Cup time teams would not be competing on equal footing if one has a cap and for the other it is open cheque book rugby dependant on the team owners deep pockets and how many francs they have in the bank.
Come to think of it this situation describes the Melbourne Storm to a tee! -
@MajorRage said in NH club rugby:
Holy shit, this is massive.
Saracens are the darlings of the UK rugby media! How the hell are they going to spin this!
Already seeing references to Saracens having the best player development academy - basically the pipeline for the future England team. So I think the spin is starting.
And while it is always de rigueur to have a pop at those at the top, it strikes me that Saracens actually have done a lot of good for English rugby over the recent past. They certainly seemed to have set the bar high for everyone else to chase.
I'm not close enough to it to know whether they are now overreaching and have reached the "we are the best" arrogant stage, maybe they have. I am sure though that jealousy will have a few clubs and their fans gleefully celebrating this development.But Nigel Wray is a smart bloke. I don't think this is the end of it all just yet.
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@Billy-Webb said in NH club rugby:
@MajorRage said in NH club rugby:
Holy shit, this is massive.
Saracens are the darlings of the UK rugby media! How the hell are they going to spin this!
Already seeing references to Saracens having the best player development academy - basically the pipeline for the future England team. So I think the spin is starting.
And while it is always de rigueur to have a pop at those at the top, it strikes me that Saracens actually have done a lot of good for English rugby over the recent past. They certainly seemed to have set the bar high for everyone else to chase.
I'm not close enough to it to know whether they are now overreaching and have reached the "we are the best" arrogant stage, maybe they have. I am sure though that jealousy will have a few clubs and their fans gleefully celebrating this development.But Nigel Wray is a smart bloke. I don't think this is the end of it all just yet.
You realise they're no longer Saffacens right?
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@Bones yes
I'm not defending them. They have Farrell.It is just genuinely a view. I think they innovated and raised the bar significantly and the more "traditional" powerful rugby clubs had to seriously up their games to compete. Which was to the betterment of English club rugby.
They may well be real twats now.
Sometimes being successful for too long can breed that sort of arrogance. -
@Billy-Webb said in NH club rugby:
@MajorRage said in NH club rugby:
Holy shit, this is massive.
Saracens are the darlings of the UK rugby media! How the hell are they going to spin this!
Already seeing references to Saracens having the best player development academy - basically the pipeline for the future England team. So I think the spin is starting.
And while it is always de rigueur to have a pop at those at the top, it strikes me that Saracens actually have done a lot of good for English rugby over the recent past. They certainly seemed to have set the bar high for everyone else to chase.
I'm not close enough to it to know whether they are now overreaching and have reached the "we are the best" arrogant stage, maybe they have. I am sure though that jealousy will have a few clubs and their fans gleefully celebrating this development.But Nigel Wray is a smart bloke. I don't think this is the end of it all just yet.
I have zero inside knowledge as I pay little to no attention to UK club rugby, but I'll say this for the last few years
Saracens: Building something special, taking to next level, proper grass roots investing, results on the back of that
Media: Saracens could be the All Blacks, Saracens are amazing, Club >>>> Country,
Rest of UK Clubs: No way those fuckers are under the salary cap. No way. -
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Your point is correct though the ECC or whatever they call the Heineken these days doesn't have some sort of salary cap as far as I am aware. There are rules about player eligibility if they transfer and what not but nothing about the club's player salarys.
