England boss Eddie Jones says he fears his Saracens players may put club before country and ask to miss next year's Six Nations as they battle to avoid Premiership relegation.
Saracens confirmed on Monday that they would not be appealing against their punishment for breaching the salary cap, meaning they will be hit with a £5.36million fine and a 35-point deduction.
That leaves the defending English and European champions, who supplied six of the team that started England’s World Cup final defeat this month, struggling to stay in the top flight.
Players are limited to a maximum of 30 games per season for club and country, and Saracens are scheduled to play five domestic matches during the time when the likes of Owen Farrell and Maro Itoje would be on international duty. Jones believes that fact, coupled with tensions between his Saracens core and players from rival clubs, may make his Six Nations planning more tricky.
"It could have a significant impact," Jones told BBC Sport. "It's something we need to weigh up and look at very carefully.
"Obviously there may be some dislocation between Saracens players and the rest of the clubs. That's a reality.
"So we may have to work to mend those relationships a bit harder, and there might be some Saracens players who feel like they've got to play for their club instead of their country, to make sure they don't go down. So we'll weigh all those up as they come about."
