Saracens full-back Alex Goode has broken his silence on the club's salary cap scandal, saying it has been 'brutal'.

Goode has only ever played for the London club, first signing in 2008 and clocking up 287 caps for the side.

Saracens were initially fined £5.4 million and given a 35 point deduction, but this was later increased to relegation to the Championship next season.

Goode said: "The first sanction we all went 'okay fine we will roll our sleeves up, we know what we need to do, it was clarity in a sense, we just got to stay in the Premiership. It's us against the world. And it's not easy but it's something to go after'.

"I think after the second one it was more anger, worry, you're unsure. First game after it happened, there was a reaction, we played against Racing with 14 men and we found it quite hard to keep backing up these performances.

"This emotional rollercoaster was so hard to constantly go back to the world and produce.

"I won't lie or sugar coat it, it's been pretty brutal for everyone involved but I think the fight, the spirit and togetherness has been impressive at times I must say," he told Will Greenwood's Rugby Podcast.