• Start of new Championship season placed in doubt
  • Club could be bounced back into Premiership

Saracens, who are preparing for a European Champions Cup semi-final against Racing 92 in Paris on Saturday, do not know when their new season will start after the government pressed pause on the return of fans to sports grounds, raising the question of whether they will be able to bounce straight back into the Premiership.

The current Premiership and European champions will soon be relegated to the Championship for breaches of the top flight’s salary cap. That league was due to start in December, but the majority of clubs are heavily reliant on gate income and would struggle to pay currently furloughed players without it.

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