Leicester Tigers: Sale boss Alex Sanderson questions value of salary cap investigation

Leicester have already beaten Sale twice this season in league and cup

Sale director of rugby Alex Sanderson has questioned whether the salary cap investigation into Leicester Tigers will do any good for the game.

Premiership Rugby are looking into allegations concerning historical image rights payments.

Sanderson was a coach with Saracens when they were under investigation for salary cap breaches.

He likened the experience to a "grief cycle" and said he "wouldn't want anyone else to have to through that".

The Premiership's salary cap director is investigating links between Leicester and a now defunct company, Worldwide Image Management and initial talks with the club have already taken place.

Sanderson said he felt to some extent that it was better to "let sleeping dogs lie".

"I don't think its anything to do with the current (Leicester) management or those current players," he added.

"It seems they could be punished if they get found guilty for the acts of predecessors. To keep slinging the mud isn't going to do any good."

Cap investigations 'a brutal experience'

Saracens were fined £5.4m and relegated at the end of the 2019-20 season after spending above the Premiership salary cap in three seasons.

Sanderson said it had been "absolutely brutal" for staff and players at the London club.

"People start talking about Leicester, they immediately start talking about Saracens. I'd just rather put an end to it all but it keeps rearing its ugly head," he said.

"What good is it going to do to drag somebody else through the mud? Particularly people at Leicester who weren't involved at the time. I don't see, apart from vilification, retribution, I just don't see what good it's going to do for the game."

Sanderson said Leicester counterpart Steve Borthwick, who joined the Tigers in the summer of 2020, was brilliant at "compartmentalising" different areas of the job.

"All of what's happening right now is something he's inherited," he added.

"It's not something he can control because it's retrospective, looking back. If anybody will be able to focus on the things they can control, which is the week to week performance, then it's going to be him. He's doing a great job."

The Premiership is now in the first season of a three-year salary cap of £5m introduced because of the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

Clubs can still have two marquee players whose wages do not count towards the cap, plus £600,000 worth of academy credits.

• Subscribe to the Rugby Union Weekly podcast