FAI not only ones with questions to answer

The phenomenally successful English club Saracens arrives in Limerick today to play Munster. In recent years, the club has won four English Premiership titles and three Heineken Cups and provided the backbone of the English and, in time, probably the Lions teams. A serious outfit by any yardstick.

That exceptional record comes at a huge cost which, in Saracens’ case, is borne almost entirely by club sugar daddy Nigel Wray. Wray’s enthusiasm was not constrained by the Premiership salary cap and his generosity to his players meant his plaything club was recently fined €6.35m and given a 35-league point deduction. The club initially suggested it would appeal the sanctions but, on mature reflection, decided not to. Yet it arrives in Limerick with an unshorn player roster which suggests that, by paying the fine, they have insulated themselves from salary cap rules — or that Saracens’ world-class players have taken a pay cut. And Santa Claus will arrive on a low-emissions electric scooter this year.