Rugby's rich list: The world's highest-paid players in 2020
While the salaries of athletes from top-tier sporting leagues such as the NBA, NFL and Premier League are flaunted throughout media outlets worldwide, it can be comparatively difficult to know how much the best rugby players rake in.
However, WalesOnline have gone some way to dispel that notion by publishing a list which has ranked the top 15 earners in the code from around the world – even in the midst of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Forming such a list has presented its challenges, though, with the outbreak resulting in some of the game’s biggest names are set to see their contracts expire without taking to the field again.
WalesOnline reports that legendary playmaking duo Dan Carter and Matt Giteau are on contracts worth around £1.1m (NZ$2.2m/AU$2.1m) at Kobelco Steelers and Suntory Sungoliath, respectively, but both players are set to move on following the cancellation of this year’s Top League.
Other big earners in Japan, including former All Blacks skipper Kieran Read and Wallabies great David Pocock, face uncertain futures, while it is difficult to accurately estimate the earnings of someone like star All Blacks lock Brodie Retallick.
The 28-year-old has signed a four-year deal with New Zealand Rugby which will see him through to the 2023 World Cup in France, but a two-year sabbatical with Kobelco clouds those estimations.
His long-time second row partner Sam Whitelock was in a similar position this year when he was allowed a six-month break from his new four-year deal with NZR to join the Panasonic Wild Knights, but has since returned to New Zealand due to the pandemic.
Add to that the mass pay cuts players have been taking around the globe, and it’s no easy task trying to unravel the yearly incomes of the planet’s best players.
Nevertheless, that is exactly what WalesOnline have done, with their list of the 15 best-paid rugby players around the world featured below.
15. Faf de Klerk (South Africa/Sale Sharks) – £500,000 (R11.m)
A key member of South Africa’s World Cup-winning Springboks squad last year, halfback Faf de Klerk signed a contract extension with Premiership club Sale Sharks in 2018 that sees him earn half-a-million pounds per year.
14. Beauden Barrett (New Zealand/Blues) – £520,000 (NZ$1m)
Two-time World Rugby player of the year Beauden Barrett quashed rumours of a big-money offshore move last year when he signed a four-year deal with NZR that included a high-profile Super Rugby transfer from the Hurricanes to the Blues.
13. Finn Russell (Scotland/Racing 92) – £535,000 (€611,276)
Out-of-favour Scotland star Finn Russell reportedly doubled his money when he joined Racing 92 from the Glasgow Warriors in 2018, and has since excelled in France’s Top 14.
12. Johnny Sexton (Ireland/Leinster) – £536,000 (€612,419)
2018 World Rugby player of the year Johnny Sexton returned to his native Leinster five years ago following a brief stint with Racing 92, and has gone on to become Ireland’s highest-paid player.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B_PFY4rAtzA/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
10 = Manu Tuilagi (England/Leicester Tigers) – £550,000
One of England’s standouts during last year’s World Cup in Japan, barnstorming midfielder Manu Tuilagi turned down a lucrative £2.5m offer from Racing 92 to sign a two-year extension with the Leicester Tigers six months ahead of the tournament.
10 = Stuart Hogg (Scotland/Exeter Chiefs) – £550,000
WalesOnline reports that Scotland captain Stuart Hogg was the highest-paid player in Scotland during his time with the Glasgow Warriors, but added an extra £200,000 to his salary when he joined English club Exeter Chiefs last year.
9. Michael Hooper (Australia/Waratahs) – £572,000 (AU$1.1m)
Despite being able to command bigger paycheques abroad, Wallabies skipper Michael Hooper signed a mammoth five-year contract with Rugby Australia in 2018 in a deal that has made him the highest-earning player in the country following Israel Folau’s departure.
7 = Morgan Parra (France/Clermont) – £580,000 (€662,692)
Veteran France halfback Morgan Parra’s international career may have hit a speed bump, but a recent contract extension with Clermont has kept the 31-year-old among one of the game’s top earners.
7 = Nicolas Sanchez (Argentina/Stade Francais) – £580,000 (€662,692/AR$47.5m)
Argentina’s star playmaker Nicolas Sanchez left the Jaguares in Super Rugby two years ago to take a significant pay rise by joining Paris-based Top 14 club Stade Francais.
6. Dan Biggar (Wales/Northampton Saints) – £600,000
The fifth flyhalf on this list, Wales pivot Dan Biggar has made the most of his big-money move from Ospreys to Northampton, where he has shone for the Saints since joining in 2018.
5. Steven Luatua (New Zealand/Bristol Bears) – £650,000 (NZ$1.3m)
Former All Blacks loose forward Steven Luatua opted for financial riches ahead of an illustrious international career when he left New Zealand to join English side Bristol in the RFU Championship three years ago.
4. Owen Farrell (England/Saracens) – £750,000
Experienced England five-eighth Owen Farrell is one of many high-earners at embattled Premiership champions Saracens, but will remain at the club next year despite their relegation into the RFU Championship due to salary cap breaches.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B_O3AfjAjeG/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
3. Maro Itoje (England/Saracens) – £875,000
Farrell’s club and international teammate Maro Itoje signed a new deal reportedly worth between £750,000 and £1m, with the lock remaining at Allianz Park next year as Saracens prepare to compete in England’s second division.
1 = Charles Piutau (New Zealand/Bristol Bears) – £1m (NZ$2m)
Ex-All Blacks speedster Charles Piutau deserted his international ambitions at the premature age of 23 when he signed a lucrative deal with PRO14 side Ulster in 2015, and then became British rugby’s first million-pound player when he joined Bristol three years later.
1 = Handre Pollard (South Africa/Montpellier) – £1m (€1.1m/R23.5m)
South Africa’s World Cup-winning Springboks playmaker Handre Pollard became the joint-richest rugby player in Europe alongside Piutau when he agreed to leave the Bulls in Super Rugby to join Montpellier in the Top 14 last year.
Comments on RugbyPass
Should've done this years ago. Change Saturday kick off times to around 11am. Up and off and back home before 3pm, limit travel time too. Allows players to actually do something else with their Saturday that's family oriented or being rugby fans they could ‘watch’ pro rugby. Increases crowds etc. How can anyone that enjoys grassroots and pro rugby have to choose between the two on Saturdays?
9 Go to commentsI bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
19 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
9 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
19 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
9 Go to commentsYes Sir! Surprising, just like Fraser would also have escaped sanction if he was a few inches lower, even if it was by accident that he missed! Has there really been talk about those sanctions or is this just sensational journalism? I stopped reading, so might have missed any notations.
9 Go to commentsAI is only as good as the information put in, the nuances of the sport, what you see out the corner of the eye, how you sum up in a split second the situation, yes the AI is a tool but will not help win games, more likely contribute to a loss, Rugby Players are not robots, all AI can do if offer a solution not the solution. AI will effect many sports, help train better golfers etc.
45 Go to commentsIt couldn’t have been Ryan Crotty. He wasn’t selected in either World Cup side - they chose Money Bill instead. And Money Bill only cared about himself, and that manager he had, not the team.
28 Go to commentsYawn 🥱 nobody would give a hoot about this new trophy. End of the day we just have to beat Ireland and NZ this year then they can finally shut up 🤐
19 Go to commentsTalking bout Ryan Crotty? Heard Crotty say in a interview once that SBW doesen't care about the team . He went on to say that whenever they lost a big game, SBW would be happy as if nothing happened, according to him someone who cares would look down.. Personally I think Crotty is in the wrong, not for feeling gutted but for expecting others 2 be like him… I have been a bad loser forever as it matters so much to me but good on you SBW for being able to see the bigger picture….
28 Go to commentsThis sounds like a WWE idea so Americans can also get excited about rugby, RUGBY NEEDS A INTERNATIONAL CALENDER .. The rugby Championship and Six Nations can be held at same time, top 3 of six nations and top 3 of Rugby championship (6 nations should include Georgia AND another qualifying country while Fiji, Japan and Samoa/Tonga qualifier should make out 6 Southern teams).. Scrap June internationals and year end tours. Have a Elite top six Cup and the Bottom 6 in a secondary comp….
19 Go to commentsThe rugby championship would be even stronger with Fiji in it… I know it doesen’t fit the long term plans of NZ or Aus but you are robbing a whole nation of being able to see their best players play for Fiji…. Every second player in NZ and AUS teams has Fijian surnames… shame on you!!! World rugby won’t step in either as France and England has now also joined in…. I guess where money is involved it will always be the poor countries missing out….
90 Go to commentsNo surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
4 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
9 Go to comments