EXETER CHIEFS DIRECTOR of rugby Rob Baxter, who has lost three Premiership finals to Saracens in the last four years, isn’t expecting to see a shipment of silverware go to Devon.
However, he is pleased to see a punishment meted out as a sign of self-governance within the Premiership.
And while the reigning European champions were a no-show from the Heineken Champions Cup launch in Cardiff today – an instance which the EPCR has noted its ‘disappointment’ with and mooted the possibility of a sanction – those who did attend were happy to express their views.
“Call it what you want,” said former England captain Chris Robshaw of the €6.2 million fine and 35-point deduction, “it is cheating. It is not a good situation for our sport to be in. It is not a thing we pride ourselves on.
“When you look at cheating in athletics, when you look at cheating in cycling, when you look at cheating in baseball – for us as a sport we like to think our sport is cleaner and cleaner than everyone else.
“It is not anymore. It is not.
“We have to be realistic about that. As a sport we’ve got to take the damage that comes with that now. I am sure it will be like that for a while. It is not going to be easy for our sport to move forward.
“I know the World Cup didn’t finish as we would have liked, but look at the high it brought the country. And now we got some damage control to do.”
Baxter was also happy to put a clear label on Saracens’ success.
If this is upheld, then it’s obvious they’ve been won unfairly.”
The Exeter boss was asked whether talk of a boycott of Saracens had any firm footing or if he felt they ought to be stripped of the titles they have won.
“If you’re asking me would I like to walk into Sandy Park and see three Premiership trophies there, I’d love to. In reality I don’t see that happening, because there are too many factors to come into play.
“I believe the way we played in the final would have beaten any other club in the Premiership, but if Saracens had been operating all season with a different squad of players… it would be ridiculous of me to say those were given.
“Every club has a say in how the Premiership ends up. Across those games, over the course of a season how many results could have been different? Who would have ended up where?
“To sit here and say we should be given the title is a bit like a shortcut when the season is based on what you do as a whole.”
Exeter chief executive Tony Rowe yesterday was one of the few who felt that Saracens were not being punished enough for over-reaching the salary cap. Baxter wasn’t quite ready to agree they should be relegated rather than face points deduction, but the 2017 champions and three-time runner-up was irked by the defence presented by Saracens.
“Saracens’ argument for what they have done is: whatever they have done, they believe is okay because it’s not captured by salary cap regulations,” said Baxter.
If that is your first response to what’s happened, what you are basically saying is, ‘We are not actually abiding by the fundamental basic principles of the salary cap’. Which is what we are supposed to be aiming to work within to create a level of fairness and competition.
“That is what we are supposed to have signed up to agree to. If your first response is ‘Ah yes, but these payments, investments, whatever they are, are outside the cap, but they are okay because the wording of the cap doesn’t catch them.’
“Well straight away, I think your concern is going to be: ‘So what are you going to do? You are going to move on from this by finding another way of doing it that’s outside the wording of the salary cap…. you want to continue to making payments outside the salary cap.’
“You have got to do something here that will make people go: ‘Well that is not what we are supposed to be doing.’
“We are not supposed to be trying to find loopholes and ways out of it. We are supposed to be finding ways where we all work within in for a bit of competition.”
