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The eight players left on Irish Rugby's 'central contract' hit list and how the IRFU plan to pay for them
It’s one down, eight more to go for the IRFU following Conor Murray’s recent announcement that he will continue to play his rugby in Ireland until 2022.
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The handshake of Murray – currently rehabbing an old neck injury that resurfaced rather than undergo surgery – is only the first of many deal-maker David Nucifora will hope to arrange this winter to ensure the Irish union’s central contract system remains the envy of the Six Nations.
With Murray locked away from foreign overtures following his three-year extension, the post-2019 World Cup futures of Johnny Sexton, Sean O’Brien, Keith Earls, Robbie Henshaw, Cian Healy, Jack McGrath, Rory Best and Rob Kearney make for a stellar cast of names due at the negotiating table in Dublin.
The premise is simple. What warrants a national contract is a consistent, starting position in the Irish national team and rival national coaches Eddie Jones and Jacques Brunel can only jealously look at the set-up Joe Schmidt has to work with.
In Ireland the sport’s stars are centrally managed by the IRFU, a policy which means the headline acts are never flogged by the provincial teams.
Take next weekend as an example: Schmidt’s leading players will be off-limits to their clubs for round seven PRO14 duty, Ireland’s November 3 match against Italy in Chicago instead taking precedence.
That’s a landscape so very different to England and France where self-interested club owners dictate terms to the respective RFU and FFR administrations. They would be up in arms if requested to release players for a Test match taking place outside of the designated three-fixture November window.
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Not that everything on the Irish front is plain sailing regarding its streamlined centralised system.
Unlike now, where only a select few are handsomely rewarded with a basic salary ranging from €350,000 to around the €600,000 per annum Murray will reputedly bank (only Sexton takes home more in basic pay), there was once a time when everyone of interest to the national coach was on an IRFU central deal.
Those agreements were tossed around like confetti. Then came the sobering capital commitment of €77.5million towards the redevelopment of Lansdowne Road, the project which became root cause for the series of belt-tightening, recessionary cutbacks that resulted in the number of centrally funded contracts dramatically falling from 30 to 21 in 2010.
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The provinces were told to up their money-making game to foot more of the contract bill, and what developed at IRFU level with the elite players was a series of cagey, cat-and-mouse negotiations that was regularly a more painful, drawn-out process.
It left the IRFU’s player contract review group, which involved volunteer administrators such as Limerick bank manager Martin O’Sullivan, frequently criticised for being too slow to negotiate and often accused of being too stingy with the remuneration packages it offered.
It was why the 2014 recruitment of Nucifora from Australia became crucial to preserving the Irish way.
His arrival meant you finally had a rugby professional managing the professionals and while the system hasn’t become controversy-free (Nucifora, for instance, gets taken to task for annually holidaying in Oz in January when some negotiations are at their most critical phase), few can argue that the former auctioneer’s wheeling and dealing isn’t largely a success in warding off overseas clubs flirting with Ireland’s best.
But for the IRFU striving to afford European market salaries, packages backed up in a number of situations by agents sourcing private business money for their clients, you could have had the awkward situation at the weekend of Peter O’Mahony packing down in Limerick for Gloucester rather than his beloved Munster, the English club allegedly being the Corkman’s prime foreign suitor last winter.
‘The good thing is we don’t lose too many players,’ claimed Nucifora not so long ago. ‘For the number of players that choose to go our retention rate is pretty good.’
Nearly all the stars offered bulging contracts in the last while have delivered plenty bang for the IRFU’s buck. That’s important as value for money is crucial. The IRFU may have raked in €85.7m revenue in 2017/18, but it created a minuscule surplus of €1.2m after all bills were paid. Professional game costs alone checked in at a hefty €42.3m cost.
Just because you have a central contract doesn’t mean it’s easily kept either. Donnacha Ryan headed to France and Andrew Trimble retired in summer 2017 when there weren’t extensions on offer. Tommy Bowe likewise finished up in 2018 rather than continue to play on a reduced provincial salary.
With injuries also forcing Jared Payne and Jamie Heaslip into retirement, there are officially only 14 players left on IRFU central deals. A far cry from the 2010 high of 30.
When agreement is struck, it’s IRFU policy to announce their success from the rooftops but there was one recent exception. With Healy deemed the IRFU’s coveted loosehead in early 2016, McGrath was forced at the time to settle for a topped-up Leinster wage.
That situation changed with McGrath going on to become a Lions Test series replacement and his terms were bumped from province to union figures that are now due for renewal.
Of the nine contracts elapsing following next year’s world finals, Murray was seen as the greatest overseas flight risk. Tying him down at such an early juncture this season was quite the coup for the IRFU.
McGrath, Healy, Henshaw, Earls and Sexton will also go to their respective Nucifora meetings dealing from positions of strength. Injury-plagued Sean O’Brien needs a run of consistency to polish his credentials, but it’s the talks concerning national team skipper Best and Kearney that most intrigue.
Having agreed a one-year extension only last March, veteran Best will be 37 if he plays at Japan 2019. He could amicably decide to go out at the top by calling it quits there and then rather than attempt to haggle and carry on. We’ll see.
Curiously, while age was an understandable factor in the short time span of Best’s last agreement, it was odd Kearney opted for a similar one-year extension seven months ago just a few days shy of his 32 birthday.
As a much younger man you would have felt he has many more seasons in him than Best and would desire longer term security. Instead, he will be back in Nucifora’s office for the second season in succession.
In his corner he will have Irish rugby’s most influential agent, David McHugh. The Line Up boss has come a long way from his days as Leinster team manager during Michael Cheika’s early years.
Kearney, Murray, Tadhg Furlong and O’Brien are all exclusively his clients, while he looks after the interests of Devin Toner and McGrath in partnership with Esportif who have former Corner Flag owner Ryan Constable as a figurehead.
That’s quite a stable of stars to be looking after in an era where players are seeking more and more in their pay packet.
The IRFU is feeling the crunch. ‘Affordability of the game is always a challenge,’ suggested Nucifora during one of his bi-annual state of the Irish rugby nation media addresses.
‘We have got some competitors with deep pockets. We have to continue to be smart in the way we develop our players, keep our players and compete at a high level. That is probably the biggest challenge.
‘That [private money] is nothing to do with us the way the system works. There is private money out there where the players through their agents go out looking for third-party money through their own agreement.
‘That happens. Is it helpful? Yeah. It brings money into the game. We certainly won’t be looking to knock that back. We have got to keep thinking about ways we can grow the finances within Irish rugby so we can stay competitive.’
With one deal down and potentially eight more to go. Nucifora is in for a very busy winter.
THE IRFU’S CENTRAL CONTRACT LISTThe dates they signed and the agency.CONOR MURRAYOct 10, 2018 3 years to Jun 2022Line UpIAIN HENDERSONMar 20, 2018 3 years to Jun 2021Blue GiraffeCJ STANDERDec 21, 2017 3 years to Jun 2021Essentially SATADHG FURLONGDec 15, 2017 3 years to Jun 2021Line UpPETER O’MAHONYDec 15, 2017 3 years to Jun 2021HorizonDEVIN TONERDec 1, 2016 2 years to June 2020Esportif/Line UpROB KEARNEYMar 20, 2018 1 year to Nov 2019Line UpRORY BESTMar 20, 2018 1 year to Nov 2019EsportifCIAN HEALYFeb 17, 2016 3 years to Nov 2019Ikon*JACK McGRATHUnconfirmed 2 years to Nov 2019Esportif/Line UpROBBIE HENSHAWFeb 16, 2016 3 years to Nov 2019NoneKEITH EARLSJan 27, 2016 3 years to Nov 2019Baker SportsSEAN O’BRIENDec 22, 2015 3 years to Nov 2019Line UpJONATHAN SEXTONSept 4, 2014 4 years to Nov 2019 Horizon*Unlike the other 13, McGrath was never officially announced by the IRFU to have secured a central contract deal
Comments on RugbyPass
Great article. No insights to add, just wanted to say that. :)
1 Go to commentsLeinster are going to win the world cup.
13 Go to commentsSuper Rugby desperately needs to lose at least 2, but up to 4 teams. Rebels quietly going bankrupt would have made that a bit easier. Teams like the Rebels and Force serve only to weaken Australian Rugby and Super Rugby more widely. In 13 years in the comp the Rebels are yet to win more games than they lose in a season, have never finished in the top half of the competition, and have come dead last a number of times. The Western Force, barring a brief stint of mediocrity under John Mitchell from 2007-2009 have been even worse. Sadly it’s hard to see a future for Moana Pasifika in Super Rugby. Likewise I think the writing is on the wall for the Highlanders, it’s hard to see how NZ rugby can continue to support 5 SR teams, and population distribution suggests one team in the south island would make the most sense.
42 Go to commentsNice that Connor Evans is happy to stay on here, that JD Schikerling is returning and Steven Kitshoff. Dobbo is careful to bring back just anybody but having a new financial lease of life, it has made the Stormers a more attractive club. On top of being good quality, having the financial backing helps a lot
1 Go to commentsEngland-qualified too, I believe.
1 Go to commentsThis might turn out to be emblematic of a real issue in Irish rugby. Ireland have one of the best -if not the best - senior sides in the world, and one of the best under 20s sides as well, but don’t seem to be giving graduating under20s players many opportunities to break through into URC starting lineups. There is a risk that a lot of the junior talent they are developing will either be wasted, or lost to other nations.
1 Go to commentsYou ask good questions, Nick. The group who have put together the proposal to play out of Tarneit and participate in the growing of the ground’s capacity are not a bunch of white knights who have been dragged in post-crisis; they were around whilst the Rebels accummulated $23m in debt. Why do we come up with ideas that might make the franchise affordable after it’s broke and not when it might have prevented the trainwreck this offseason was? As for Gordon/Kellaway v Lolesio/Wright, they are both good options. I think the former are better rugby players but the goal kicking of Noah may be decisive when Schmiddy makes his choices. I know Harry Jones has the hots for Edmed but I think it’s one of his few poor choices and he and Jorgensen aren’t close to the other pairs. By coincidence, the wife and I went into town over the weekend to watch Brian Cox and Patricia Clarkson in Long Day’s Journey into Night. Beautifully acted but it was 3.5 hours in the chair and very hard work. Like the Rebels, there were only small bursts of joy to go with a lot of bad news and a depressing story line. In the end, I was hoping it would end and I could give my sore butt a break. Again, familiar.
42 Go to commentsGood decision, very good player but not international quality. But so was Jamison Gibson Park …..
3 Go to commentsLoose forwards always look good going forward and winning. It’s the same loose forwards for the Crusaders and the Canes this year as last year. Too much of the shiny new things getting noticed here while older consistent ones getting bagged. It’s early days. Calm the farm.
6 Go to commentsThanks Nick, and on the money. We tend to be apathetic until something REALLY BAD happens, then we aren't! At least this applies to the Reb players and coach, if not the spectators. They seem to be getting very quick ball at times. Have they altered something, or is it just all of the skills coming together at the right time? It seems almost the opposite of the Reds, who started the season with quick ball, but haven't been showing that in the last 3 losing games. Is it attitude (McDermott hasn't looked “right” to me for 3 weeks), or something else?
42 Go to commentsGood summary. As said, Sevu Reece has been electrifying for the Crusaders. Great try and he has been everywhere. Amazing he is now equal with Caleb Ralph , club record of 52 tries for the Crusaders. That record beckons. Good to see Dallas McLeod getting regular starts at last. A big few weeks are ahead.
6 Go to commentsGood article/interview.As was said Christian Lio-Willie was barnstorming when he came on for the Crusaders. What happened at the end, self-explanatory.Captain fantastic Scott Barrett is due back soon as well, once they are back from Aussie. Great to see Ethan Blackadder back last week.
1 Go to commentsYou must have been watching one team, Andrew - and even then you missed the brightest star in the Chiefs pack - Naitoa Ah Kuoi, 2 turnovers, genuine line-out presence and grunt around the field, and the soft hands of a back.
6 Go to commentsHaha what a crock of sh!t these headlines are. Moorby’s best year was that first. Still doesn’t seem to have the same game about him as when he was fresh but has bounced back well this season to be playing consistent tight accurate footy
3 Go to commentsIt’s even dumber than Bernard Foley not kicking the penalty to touch in the Melbourne Bledisloe in 2022.
3 Go to commentsYes, they are traveling well but it’s early days. The Chiefs were in front with 20 to go while they snatched a last minute win v the Reds. Keep calm.
1 Go to commentsThe failure of the Irish system / rugby playing style to produce their own backs has them looking elsewhere for innovation and flair - not that Jordie has much flair. He’s a converted fullback. The Canes have plenty of other younger options.
13 Go to comments1.Watch Wallace Sititi be the wild card AB. A genuine full time no 8 2. Luke J like Sotutu has not delivered. 3. Chiefs have all the right cattle but badly miss the leadership of Webber. LJ is about as unconvincing as Sam Cane when under the pump. They had the winning of that game in the second half then fell apart.
6 Go to commentsYes the Rebels are showing signs of life because they are literally playing for their live -lihoods and thanks to their Australian attack coach. However they are still playing an essentially dull boring south african style for the rest of the time. And Geoff Parling must be the most useless lineout coach ever. Worse than Steve Hansen even. Interestingly we are starting to see more cheap shots and attempts to get away with cheating by Australian players, now they are being influenced by Joe Schmidt. It was exactly the same when Rennie started out as Wallaby coach and thru his tenure. Trying to teach Australians to play like kiwis doesn’t work, as the last 20 years has conclusively demonstrated. Especially when we are not as good at it as kiwis. Which of course is the whole idea …..
42 Go to commentsGreat signing, not sure where he’ll fit in though. As for him ‘playing alongside RG Snyman, that’s highly debatable given the likelyhood that the latter will spend most of the season on sick leave.
13 Go to comments