England hooker Jamie George will not seek to leave Saracens when the club is relegated from the Premiership to the Championship.
George, capped 46 times by England, is the first senior member of the Saracens squad to commit to the club when it drops down to English rugby‘s second tier at the end of the season.
Questions have remained in the wake of the club being condemned to the Championship for breaching the salary cap in the current season.
This came just two months after a PRL investigation was concluded by an independant panel recommending Saracens be fined the maximum penalty of £5.36m and deducted 35 points for breaching the salary cap between 2016 and 2019.
And as the fallout from the investigation continues, with title sponsor Allianz announcing today (Thursday) it will not renew its deal at the end of the season, George has simultaneously given the Premiership a boost in expressing his desire to stay.
“I’m pretty sure I’m staying,” George told Sky Sports News.
“The details of it I’m not too sure about, but I’ll be staying at the club and using it for different purposes, but I’ll certainly be playing some rugby next year.
“I haven’t spoken to the other boys. My decision’s been made purely from a personal point of view and I wouldn’t want to speak on their behalf, but it’s looking that way.”
It remains to be seen what fellow England stars Owen Farrell, Maro Itoje, and the Vunipola brothers choose to do for next season, especially with a Lions tour to be in contention for.
Championship clubs do not have to abide by a salary cap of their own, but they must fall within the £7m cap of the Premiership. A figure which most clubs do not possess the resources to play risk with.
Not giving away his thoughts, lock Itoje praised the work of Saracens.
“I’m pretty sure of what I want to do,” Itoje said.
“I’m pretty sure of what exactly is going to happen but I’m not going to tell you right now.”
“I don’t think it will be too controversial.
“Saracens is a great club. Obviously what’s happened hasn’t been ideal, but I think if you look forward the future can still be bright.”
