I mean, there's not a tonne of it on this thread (yet) but I always get a bit confused as to why a lot of people seem to think they know what Sarries are paying their players. Until they are found out to be breaching the cap again, can we all really sit here and pass judgement that they definitely must be? Maybe they're just good at negotiating deals - maybe the draw of playing for the most successful English club in recent years means they don't have to tempt players with money quite so much.

Also it's important to remember that a lot of their internationals have come through the club and have developed at Sarries - much like we did with our England contingent. I have no inside knowledge of how contract negotiations work but to me it's always seemed logical that whilst those international players' wages will have increased quite a bit in that time, a player who has come through the club is not going to cost as much as if the club hired an equivalent international from another club. When you bring an international player (or any player for that matter) in from another club, logic would dictate that the player/player's agent holds all the cards for that particular negotiation. I'm sure for contract renewals the player knows they could get more elsewhere (because any club looking to tempt them away would need to improve on their current financial situation) but they're staying for other reasons - loyalty, happiness where they are etc.

I also struggle to see why Sarries (or any of the clubs) would want to breach the salary cap. Why would you do that deliberately?

My feeling is Sarries are just shrewd with their business. They've brought in a lot of non-international Saffas to bolster their ranks - who presumably come on a decent rate. They've developed their England internationals at the club and they've fostered a winning environment that any pro at the top of their game would want to be part of. Maybe they have breached the cap but until the evidence is laid out in front of me I'm not going to accuse them of doing so - just feels a bit like petty jealousy.