What do we now know from the judgement about how Saracens flouted the salary cap? The precise amounts of overspend have been revealed: in the 2016-17 season, the excess spending was £1.1 million, in 2017-18 it was just over £98,000 and the following season it was £906,000. Players’ names have been redacted from the judgement published this morning, but reports into the leaking of the document last night stated that Maro Itoje, the lock, was overpaid by £871,000 for a 30 per cent stake in Itoje’s image rights company by Nigel Wray, the former chairman, and two other Saracens directors, based on one valuation. A subsequent valuation of the company from an accountancy firm consulted by Premier Rugby said that the stake was worth only £800,000,…

Source: The Times January 23, 2020 12:00 UTC