PAUL REES LOOKS AT THE CHALLENGES FACING EX-CHAMPIONS AS THEY PREPARE FOR LIFE WITHOUT YOU-KNOW-WHO

LAST season marked the end of an era for Saracens. All it lacked was a fitting conclusion with defeat at Northampton in the play-off semi-final, the last appearance for the club of three players who had played a central role in their sustained success from the start of the 2010s.
Factor out the season in which they were docked so many points that even a try bonus point victory every match would not have saved them from relegation and Saracens have been involved in the play-offs in eac...