McCall: "The International players had a very clear view on what they wanted to do ... and that coincided with what we wanted."
Wednesday 22 January 2020 16:58, UK
Saracens director of rugby Mark McCall has hinted that the club's 'established' England internationals will remain with the team following their relegation from the Premiership.
The club will be relegated at the end of this season for persistently breaking the league's salary cap regulations and will need to conform to the £7million limit in time for the start of their next campaign.
The need to reduce the club's wage bill and the impact playing second-tier rugby could have on England stars such as Owen Farrell and Maro Itoje's hopes of international selection has led to a speculation there could be a mass exodus from Allianz Park.
"We've met with three-quarters of the squad so far - everybody's got a unique situation," McCall said.
"We've discussed what they want and what we want, and what next year might look like, what the year after that might look like, and we've got a plan and we're making good progress.
"In the 2021/22 (season) if we manage to get up from the Championship, clearly the squad that begins that season will be slightly different to the squad that we've got right now, but that's just normal for any squad, and hopefully that churn won't be too great and our squad will look quite familiar.
"The International players had a very clear view on what they wanted to do, all of them, and luckily enough that coincided with what we wanted as well."
With seven Saracens players included in Eddie Jones' latest England squad, their ability to keep their places while playing in the Championship next season was a major factor in discussions that have taken place over recent days.
But McCall suggested that Jones and British Lions coach Warren Gatland may both see a lighter domestic workload for Saracens key men as a blessing for their fixtures next season.
"I should understand that would be a key driver for our established international players," McCall said. "I think Eddie is on the whole happy to select players who are established, Warren Gatland the same.
"A lot of our international players are proven international players and may see it as a season where those players can have a sabbatical type season.
"I think Warren Gatland's very keen to get as fresh a Lions team as possible to take to South Africa and certainly our situation in a funny kind of way is going to help him I think."
McCall admitted that some of the club's less established stars could be more likely to leave in search of Premiership rugby, as they seek to further their international careers.
Saracens have beaten the Exeter Chiefs in each of the previous two Premiership finals, and their rivals have admitted they could be one of the team's to benefit from the situation.
"I would hate to say, no 100 per cent we wouldn't take a Saracens player and I wouldn't like to sit here and say we're interested in three or four because that's not really the case," Exeter director of rugby Rob Baxter said.
"At the end of the day there's some attractive players playing for Saracens, they've got some very good players there - I mean that's kind of been the point.
"I think anybody who turns round and says there's not some quality there that would add to some squads wouldn't be telling the truth."
