The Saracens story that broke earlier today is one the biggest we have seen in rugby for quite some time. For a club of their stature to be punished in this manner is exceedingly rare in the world of sport.
A 35-point deduction and £5million fine will no doubt rock the club, but the way in which they are accused of bending the rules required a big punishment. It seems highly likely that their loose interpretation of the salary cap rules played a big part in their huge success over the past few years.
Some feel the punishment is unjust, however. Speaking to the BBC, former Saracens captain Kyran Bracken said that the punishment was unfair and that others have received far less sanctions for what he deems to be worse offences:
I was shocked, dismayed, disappointed as an ex-Saracen.
It seems very, very harsh when you compare it to say, out and out cheating that may, or has, been done.
With Harlequins and bloodgate - where players went on the pitch with capsules - they got a £260,000 fine and no points deduction, yet for Saracens it's 35 points and over £5m fine, it just feels disproportionate.
Ultimately Bracken feels that his former team did not cheat, and were merely pulled up on a 'technicality':
The fact is if someone's out and out cheating then that's wrong and they need to be punished, but it feels like this is more of a technicality and it doesn't feel fair.
If you were to look at it in the cold light of day, have a look why they're really successful - they're really successful because they invest very heavily in their academy.
They haven't bought that success, they've nurtured their own players.
