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The players left on Irish Rugby's 'central contract' hit list after deal struck for James Ryan
James Ryan’s signature on the dotted line on Wednesday 68 days after Bundee Aki did likewise with the IRFU was indicative of how the identity of those who hold top-earning contracts on the Irish scene is going through a changing of the guard at the moment.
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Ryan and Aki had both been on respective provincial deals with Leinster and Connacht, but they have now been bumped up to the category of remuneration that sets the elite stars apart from the rest in Irish rugby.
Basic salary for the select few who are handsomely rewarded ranges from €350,000 to around the €600,000 per annum, quite a pay packet compared to the leaner salaries on offer at the provinces.
The upper echelon has been a cosy club for quite some time. Many years ago, way back during the Eddie O’Sullivan era, these wholly IRFU-funded deals were tossed around like confetti before the rebuilding of the Aviva Stadium caused a major rethink in strategy.
With the IRFU taking on a capital commitment of €77.5million towards the stadium redevelopment, the number of centrally funded contracts dramatically fell from 30 to 21 in 2010.
(Continue reading below…)
Andy Farrell and Johnny Sexton speak following Ireland’s 19-12 win over Scotland
It has since further reduced in the David Nucifora era where they IRFU have been hugely selective in which players merit European market-type salaries, packages backed up in a number of situations by agents sourcing private business money for their clients.
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With the emphasis on the delivery of plenty bang for the IRFU’s buck, there has been a series of cagey, cat-and-mouse negotiations during the Australian’s tenure that can lead to a drawn-out process.
This to and fro was especially evident in 2018/19 when nine players – Conor Murray, Johnny Sexton, Sean O’Brien, Keith Earls, Robbie Henshaw, Cian Healy, Jack McGrath, Rory Best and Rob Kearney – were all due to fall out of the contact at the end of the World Cup.
Scotland's starting 8 made 133m off 59 runs at the Aviva compared to just 44m off 64 runs in the previous encounter, a ball-carrying threat that caused the overall Irish tackle rate to soar.
– @heagneyl on Farrell's first game in charge #SixNations ?????????https://t.co/cDtIpCsWbL
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) February 2, 2020
In the end, seven managed to renewed deals with only the now-retired Best and O’Brien, who is now at London Irish, not getting re-signed.
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In the year prior to that, you had the departure of Donnacha Ryan to Racing and the retirements of Andrew Trimble, Tommy Bowe, Jared Payne and Jamie Heaslip illustrating the turnover that can happen at the top end of the IRFU pay scale.
The emphasis in the latest round of contracting is different, though. With only two of the dozen players currently on central contracts possessing agreements set to expire at the end of this season – Devin Toner and Kearney – there is more of a focus on securing players who are in the Ireland set-up on provincial contracts.
The likelihood is that Kearney, who was left out of new coach Andy Farrell’s Six Nations squad, is finished at central contract level – it wasn’t until last May that he managed to secure the one-year deal that ensured he would go to the World Cup rather than potentially take up an offer abroad.
'His unchallenged message is that his squad is dynamic, powerful and aggressive with a lot of skill and speed, a nice soundbite if rah-rah soundbites are your thing twelve-and-a-half weeks on from World Cup crucifixion by the All Blacks,' writes @heagneyl
https://t.co/Uay1ksl7gW— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) January 16, 2020
Also, the rise in Ryan’s pay packet will likely be detrimental to how Toner fares at the negotiating table, his hand further weakened by his omission by ex-boss Joe Schmidt from the World Cup squad and by the fact that he turns 34 at his next birthday in June.
Instead, the intrigue will be on whether young guns similar to Ryan can also switch from provincial to IRFU-type salaries now that they earned their stripes. Jacob Stockdale, for instance, had just six caps to his name when he shook hands on a two-year Ulster deal in mid-February 2018.
He has since consolidated his status as a regular Ireland starter and while he has managed just two tries in his last nine appearances, he and his representatives, Esportif/Line Up, will feel entitled to terms from Nucifora in Dublin rather than an extension with Ulster in Belfast.
After the Schmidt era, Andy Farrell's more 'open' culture in Ireland camp is rubbing off well on players says Henderson #IREvWAL #SixNations https://t.co/Hhibrozb2R
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) February 5, 2020
Similarly, Garry Ringrose who settled for a two-year extension at Leinster the last time he was at the negotiating table in 2018. Now with 29 caps, he too will likely want his Navy Blue Sports agent to be talking improved numbers with the IRFU rather than with Leinster.
Josh van der Flier and Jordan Larmour are two other Leinster talents who can also feel their progress with Ireland merits reward from on high rather than remaining on provincial terms. After all, they are meeting the base requirement for a national contract – consistently getting a starting position in the Irish team.
THE IRFU’S CENTRAL CONTRACTS LIST – The dates they signed and the agency
JAMES RYAN (Line Up) – February 5, 2020, for 3 years to June 2023
BUNDEE AKI (YMU Group) – November 29, 2019, for 3 years to June 2023
CONOR MURRAY (Line Up) – October 10, 2018, for 3 years to June 2022
ROBBIE HENSHAW (represented by his father) – February 19, 2019, for 3 years to June 2022
KEITH EARLS (Baker Sports) – October 25, 2018, for 2 years to June 2021
JONATHAN SEXTON (Horizon) – December 11, 2018, for 2 years to June 2021
CIAN HEALY (Ikon) – May 21, 2019, for 2 years to June 2021
JACK McGRATH (Esportif/Line Up) – April 2, 2019, for 2 years to June 2021
IAIN HENDERSON (Blue Giraffe) – March 20, 2018, for 3 years to June 2021
CJ STANDER (Essentially SA) – December 21, 2017, for 3 years to June 2021
TADHG FURLONG (Line Up) – December 15, 2017, for 3 years to June 2021
PETER O’MAHONY (Horizon) – December 15, 2017, for 3 years to June 2021
DEVIN TONER (Esportif/Line Up) – December 1, 2016, for 3 years to June 2020
ROB KEARNEY (Line Up) – May 27, 2019, for 1 year to June 2020
WATCH: The Rugby Pod reflects on the opening weekend of the 2020 Guinness Six Nations
Comments on RugbyPass
Absolutely spot on Ben. I certainly wouldn't gloat over a win like that. Frustrating as it is it's done and dusted and history will forever show the result.
97 Go to commentsHo hum.
97 Go to commentsNo question they were the better team. But that is the beauty of sport isn’t it!
97 Go to commentsEveryone is into Hurling in Ireland according to Porter, but only 11 of Ireland's 32 counties enter a team into the national competition. Same old blarney.
1 Go to commentsLet’s be honest. The draw and scheduling in the World Cup was a joke but South Africa found a way after having to go the hard (nearly impossible) way to the Cup Final via France and England. NZ had a hard game against France (lost) and had 5 weeks to prepare for the Quarter, 3 weeks knowing it was Ireland. NZ theerfore had to win one big game against an Irish team who played SA and then Scotland 7 days before. They won and it was de facto a semi final because they were playing a relatively weak Argentina team and it was a walk over. In the final a very rested NZ team was playing a very tired SA team and still lost. They couldn’t score more than 11 points. Put another way SA had to find a way to win while tired and they achieved that. NZ should thank their lucky stars that they fixed the scheduling in 2015 otherwise they would be dealing with a Bok treble.
97 Go to commentsPerhaps if Bongi wasn’t targeted and removed from the game in the first 3 minutes it would have been quite a different game. Maybe if NZ also faced the same competition the Boks faced to their win NZ would have looked quite different. The final score shows who outplayed who.
97 Go to commentsRubbish article! Abuladze played most of Exeters matches when fit. He got injured against Glasgow a while ago and is out for the rest of the season, thats why he hasnt played for Exeter and Georgia recently. Do some proper research next time!
1 Go to commentsGotta love it when kids throw their toys out the pram and can’t hack it with the grown ups debate. Here’s looking at you turlough! 😉🤣
148 Go to commentsThey lost the game period move on
97 Go to commentsSpringboks won! Stop winging. You can change the game however much you and your rugby colonizing IRB want to and the Springboks will win you at that too. Your mind is colonized my friend get a life
97 Go to commentsBen, nobody gets fooled anymore by selective and biased data to support an hypothesis. Games are decided on such small margins these days that you win some and lose some, and dominance is a thing of the rugby past. Look at the RWC circle of fortune…. Ireland beats SA who beat France who beat NZ who beat Ireland. And so it goes on. Match officials help to eliminate real indiscretions. If they had been with us years before, no doubt results would have been different. Remember Andy Haden’s dive from a lineout in 1978 for which a match-wining penalty was awarded? Wales should have beaten the ABs that day. They took the loss like the gentlemen they were.
97 Go to commentsWith all the analysis and how good the all blacks were.The fundamental mistake with the ABs is that this is a test match and not an exhibition.There is no better team(country) in world rugby than the Boks that knows how to win a test match(we are post masters at this).We know our rules, we have the discipline, we tackle like beasts, we take our points and we never give up.I now have educated the ABs supporters(at least say thank you).Please stop “bitching” , accept what the outcome is and move along swiftly.
97 Go to commentsAnd they came from behind to win two big games before the final. No one can say what would have happened. Had the boks gone behind the game plan changes and the result may changes. Ifs and ands are irrelevant. The boks won. Neutral critics enjoyed the games they played. Its not a popularity contest. Get over it and move on.
97 Go to commentsI'm happy for the people of SA to get a second WC. And I mean that. I was very disappointed with this man's “stand on the hand” incident with Josh Van Der Flyer (Ireland). Ireland's downfall in the last WC was they did not rotate their first 15 as the head coach probably should have. That said, I'm happy for SA and genuinely hope it lifts the mood in their country. Ireland did beat them in the first match of the tournament. And before the trolls start trolling ….. please don't bother. Etzbeth said recently that the Irish players said after the match “see you in the final”…..this was actually wishing the SA team the best of luck in the rest, the Irish team were not dismissing the AB’s. This is what Etzbeth was implying. But he was wrong. I no longer live in Ireland. But I hope to see them lift that cup before I pass. Anyway, congratulations SA. 👍
12 Go to commentsMore bloody click bait. Dan Carter has said absolutely nothing. As he should do. Poor journalism again from a site that should know better
9 Go to commentsOh god please help these loosers get over it!!!! You lost. Doesn't matter how many times you dummies are gonna analyse the game, you still lost and we are still Rygby World Champions….get over it, you lost.
97 Go to commentsThe next Willie le Roux. SA are made not to use him.
3 Go to commentsDan has always been as controversial as tea with milk so we were never going to get any definitive answer. So DMac for the win.
9 Go to commentsGoodness. When are the All Blacks and New Zealand commentators going to stop complaining about how they could have won and just try to win next time 😂. In South Africa if you lose you get up and try again. Get over it.
97 Go to commentsHonestly, it doesn’t matter a whole lot. RSA has a ton of experienced talent in its leadership group. I am more interested in who is the new 8 man/8 men and the younger props. The captain may change but the system does not
1 Go to comments