Nigel Wray has stepped down as chairman of Saracens in the first major change at the club since they were found guilty of breaching the Premiership salary cap.
Wray has run Saracens for much of the professional era, pouring millions of pounds into the club and making them the most successful in England, with five Premiership titles and three European Champions Cup wins in the last decade.
In November, however, Premiership Rugby handed Saracens a fine of £5.3million and a 35-point deduction, which means they find themselves in a relegation scrap, for breaching the salary cap in the last three seasons.
Wray, 71, opted not to challenge the sanctions, which were imposed due to co-investments he held with senior players, such as Owen Farrell, Maro Itoje and the Vunipola brothers, Mako and Billy.
Since then, Premiership Rugby have announced a full independent review, led by Lord Myners, into the salary cap.
Despite insisting until now that he would remain in his post, Wray has announced he will no longer be chairman, although he still owns the club.
Wray said: “As we enter a new year, a new decade, it is time for the club to make a fresh start.
“I am not getting any younger and feel this is the right moment for me to stand down as chairman and just enjoy being a fan of this incredible rugby club. I will always be committed to the wonderful Saracens family.
“The Wray family will continue to provide the required financial support to the club and I will remain actively engaged in the work of the Saracens Sport Foundation and Saracens High School, as part of the club’s ongoing commitment to our community in north London.”
Saracens will announce a new independent chairman imminently to replace Wray, while Ed Griffiths will return for a period of 12 months as interim chief executive. The South African was previously Saracens’ CEO, before leaving the club at the end of the 2015 season.
More recently, Griffiths worked at Middlesex cricket club and was involved in a project to establish a new home base for the county away from Lord’s at Barnet Copthall, close to Saracens’ Allianz Park stadium. His company, ASM, are set to continue working with Middlesex on the project.
In the week before Premiership Rugby announced their sanctions, following their months-long investigation into the salary cap breaches, Saracens revealed that Nick Leslau, a fellow director and close associate of Wray, would be leaving the club. Finance chief Bernard Van Zyl also left the club.
The only player to announce his departure following the sanctions is Liam Williams, who will return to Scarlets in Wales next season, although others are expected to follow, including promising lock Joel Kpoku.
