- Saracens suffered Championship defeat by Cornish Pirates
- Club’s planning ‘presumes promotion back to Premiership’
Saracens could face a battle to hang on to their England stars if they fail to secure an immediate return to the Premiership, with several senior players believed to have release clauses in their contracts.
The shock defeat by Cornish Pirates on Saturday was a sobering start to life for Saracens in the Championship and suggested this season’s second tier will not be the cakewalk it appeared to be. Mark McCall’s side can call on their England cavalry in the form of the Vunipola brothers, Jamie George, Owen Farrell, Maro Itoje and Elliot Daly after the Six Nations but the margin for error in an already shortened Championship season is now even smaller.
