SARACENS have been deducted one competition point in the pool stages of the 2010-11 LV= Cup. The sanction has been imposed by the LV= Cup Organising Committee because Tom Ryder was selected on the bench against Scarlets on January 29, and was subsequently found to be unregistered.

The breach of LV= Cup Regulation 4.1.1 was due to an administrative error and Saracens have co-operated fully with the Rugby Football Union.

Chris Burns,  RFU Competitions Manager, commented: “This was entirely an administration error on Saracens’ part and there was absolutely no intention to cheat or gain any advantage over the opposition in the selection of Tom Ryder. He had recently returned from a spell with Glasgow Warriors and the Club had forgotten to re-register him.

“Saracens have been fully compliant with providing an explanation for the error. While we recognise that the club are now out of the LV= Cup it remains a breach of regulation