GLASGOW Warriors’ hopes of a surprise readmission to this season’s Champions Cup were dashed last night when holders Saracens escaped with a fine after admitting to fielding an ineligible player in the last round of pool games.

It was announced by tournament organisers EPCR at lunchtime yesterday that a disciplinary hearing had been called after Saracens themselves reported that their player Titi Lamositele had been ineligible to place against Racing 92 after his work permit expired. If their victory in that match had been annulled, that could have meant a place in the quarter-finals for Glasgow, who were the ninth best ranked team at the end of the pool stages. Instead, the disciplinary panel decided that a fine of €50,000 was a sufficient punishment for Saracens.

A statement from EPCR explained: “Lamositele’s work permit expired and that Saracens were not aware of this due to an administrative oversight.

“The Committee accepted that Lamositele’s work permit had expired unbeknownst to the club, and that Saracens had not sought to gain any unfair advantage by selecting the player.”