Salary cap may not fit Bath or Saracens but critics have to wear it – for now

The Premiership final on Saturday is not the ideal one for the organisers. Bath and Saracens, two clubs who have built success on financial losses, are regarded as the beneficiaries of a decision by the top clubs to suspend an investigation into alleged salary cap irregularities.

Saracens, in particular, have been linked with the investigation into suspected breaches of the cap, although Premiership Rugby’s policy is not to comment either way on whether a club’s spending on player wages is being scrutinised until an inquiry has been completed – and then only if the outcome is a guilty verdict.

The Saracens owner, Nigel Wray, has insisted that the club have not broken the cap, while Bath Rugby’s managing director, Tarquin McDonald, also denied any wrongdoing in March, saying: “We are under the cap and we’re going to be under the cap next year. There’s quite a significant step up in terms of the cap next year, around 20% or so, so that allows for the investment in players we’ve seen.”

The decision to suspend the investigation, taken at a meeting of Premiership Rugby’s shareholders, was made partly to avoid potential embarrassment at a time when negotiations are being held with the Rugby Football Union over the renewal of the elite player agreement. When would be a good time to release bad news? During the World Cup?

The suspension is likely to be indefinite, not least because Saracens have long argued that the salary cap is anti-competitive and breaches European law. The prospect of the affair ending up in court is not one that appeals, even to those who view with disdain the way Saracens lost £6m in the year they last won the title.

The clubs are more concerned with the future than the past, wanting to increase the size of the Premiership from 12 clubs to 14 and suspend relegation for at least four years to allow, so we are told, businesses to grow. Those who have argued for the removal of the salary cap or a substantial increase in it will get their way, while others who have lived in fear of the drop and its consequences for longer than they care to remember would no longer have to field anxious inquiries from bank managers.

So whoever wins on Saturday will not be exposed later in the year if they did breach the salary cap. There is no appetite for what would follow, although it is hypocritical of the clubs to demand that the Stuart Lancaster observes the selection policy for the national side, which excludes players based outside the Premiership except under exceptional circumstances. The England head coach would be entitled to tell them where to get off.

The final should be more open than the meetings about the salary cap and who may have spent what. Bath have reached the final day for the first time since 2004 and are looking to win a title that has eluded them since the first year of professionalism. They will be the neutrals’ choice, having taken attacking play to a new level this season, challenging those who believe defence comes first.

Their midfield triangle of George Ford, Kyle Eastmond and Jonathan Joseph finds space where none appears to exist and will stress the blanket defence of Saracens.

When Ford left Leicester two summers ago the Tigers felt he was moving too soon and needed to continue his apprenticeship under Toby Flood. He knew he was ready to hold down a starting place and his former club did not read the signs, one reason they have failed to reach the final in his absence after nine in a row.

Bath are still on their way up and the final will be the club’s most significant game for some while. Saracens have become used to the big occasion, as they showed in winning at Franklin’s Gardens in the semi-final, a day when they got their planning and execution right. While Bath overran Leicester at The Rec, they have not been so potent on the road.

They won six of their 11 away matches in the Premiership, all against the sides in the bottom half of the table. They secured a mere two bonus points on their travels to Northampton, Leicester, Saracens, Exeter and Wasps – although they won with a flourish at Toulouse in the Champions Cup – and while they have a squad to ensure that the final should not be a one-off, coupled with a dynamic style of play, they will be up against the masters of disaster.

Saracens have not been the model of consistency during the past two years, when they finished at the top of the Premiership but failed to win the title. They have paced themselves more and they way they neutralised Northampton, attacking them at their strongest point and overpowering them, was impressive. Their back row of Jacques Burger, Maro Itoje and Billy Vunipola seemed to cover the entire field, making their presence felt.

It is hard to see Saracens taking on Bath in a running game, even if they are far from one-dimensional: no side with Alex Goode at full-back can be dismissed as predictable, but their rhythm comes through method and an appreciation of the art of the possible. In that sense it has the potential to be a contrast in styles, like the Pro12 final, where Munster share some of Sarries’ qualities and Glasgow are like Bath in their determination to attack.

Much will be made of the duel between Ford and Owen Farrell at fly-half, two friends brought up in the world of rugby league but who very quickly proved themselves in union. A year ago, Farrell was by some way England’s first choice at fly-half yet he now trails Ford to the point where he is more likely to start the World Cup at 12 rather than 10.

Ford has been the player of the season, imperturbable and refined. He has Farrell’s iron core and the vision of a playmaker; knock him down and he gets straight back up. Mistakes do not faze him. Saracens have their wolf pack, Bath have a fox and on Saturday afternoon it does not matter whether the salary cap fits either club. Finals often disappoint – but this should be one to savour.