Saracens are to accept their heavy deduction for breaching the Premiership's salary cap rules and will therefore be relegated at the end of the season, a report from The Guardian said on Friday.

FILE PHOTO: Rugby Union - Premiership - Exeter Chiefs v Saracens - Sandy Park, Exeter, Britain - December 29, 2019 Saracens' Billy Vunipola, Maro Itoje and Owen Farrell look dejected Action Images/Paul Childs/File Photo

REUTERS: Saracens are to accept their heavy deduction for breaching the Premiership's salary cap rules and will therefore be relegated at the end of the season, a report from The Guardian said on Friday.

The newspaper said that the players were told on Friday that the club had accepted a further 35-point deduction after they could not show that they were operating under the salary cap.

Saracens, who had already accepted an initial 35-point deduction, are bottom of the 12-team Premiership table with -7 points despite winning six of their eight games and bagging four bonus points.

A further 35-point deduction will see them drop down to -42 points with no hope of survival.

Saracens were initially sanctioned for breaking the 7-million-pound salary cap for three consecutive seasons during which they won the title twice.

Saracens won the league five times in 2011, 2015, 2016, 2018 and 2019, also claiming the European title three times in 2016, 2017 and 2019.

Premiership rugby, whose standings still show Saracens on -7 points, and the club have not confirmed the report.

(Reporting by Julien Pretot; Editing by Christian Radnedge)