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The 6-figure lump sum Tuilagi would lose if he leaves Leicester Tigers
Manu Tuilagi could be forgoing a six-figure testimonial year if he carries through with his dramatic exit from Leicester Tigers. Tuilagi was one of five high profile players to reject new, cut-price contracts with the Gallagher Premiership side and the club confirmed his departure last night.
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The squad were asked to accept reduced wages by way of new deals, albeit with an inbuilt ‘mechanism through which a proportion of forgone earnings could be reclaimed when the club returns to profitability.’
Should the 29-year-old stay, he faces a drastic salary reduction.
RugbyPass has learned that all Leicester Tigers’ salaries were capped at £250,000 a player with the exception of George Ford, who is understood to be on circa £320,000. England prop Ellis Genge, who agreed to a new contract, undertook the biggest cut of any player to sign a new contract at the club.
Tuilagi, if he stays, he would face an even bigger salary cut again, and would likely to be paid a figure in the region of 75 per cent (£360,000) of his reported £480,000 a year, pre-lockdown salary, with the possibility of getting roughly £60,000 back through the club’s pay back mechanism.
But against this Tuilagi, were he to finish his career with Tigers, could be set to make north of £400,000 by way of a testimonial year at the club. Testimonial years are a long-held tradition at the club, with the likes of Marcos Ayerza, Tom Croft and (in this season), Tom and Ben Youngs benefitting.
Proceeds from testimonial years, generated via fund-raising events, are split between pre-appointed charities of the player’s choice and the players themselves.
According to the terms of his current contract, Tigers’ technically have the right to match any offer made to Tuilagi by another club. Whether they choose to, is another matter entirely.
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One source who spoke to RugbyPass said: “It would have to be a ridiculous offer for Manu to entertain it.”
As it stands, the Rugby Football Union (RFU) will not allow Tuilagi to play for England should the centre move abroad, suggesting he may opt for an English club. “The current rules and regulations apply and there are no plans to change them,” an RFU source told the BBC.
There is currently an ‘exceptional circumstances’ clause, but it only comes into effect in the event of a major injury crisis. The overseas-based player rule has been in place since after the 2011 Rugby World Cup.
Sale Sharks are favourites among the Premiership side courting the centre, although DoR Steve Diamond has told RugbyPass that they have not had any talks with the player. “We have had no discussions about Manu Tuilagi. People see what we are doing and our ability get everything sorted unlike other clubs. I think we are being dragged into it and I know Manu’s agent well and I trust him not to have brought us into it and I don’t know if it is the current club throwing it around to try and force the arm of the individual. I am very direct and, generally, I will say if we are or not.”
EXCLUSIVE: Diamond denies an approach to bring Tuilagi to Sale but has the financial power to make it happen
– reports @chrisjonespress ???https://t.co/n607Gblh7O
ADVERTISEMENT— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) July 5, 2020
Bristol Bears also deny they’re interested in the centre, while RugbyPass understands Toulouse are leading the French Top 14 teams’ pursuit of the Fogapoa born star. There is also a lucrative offer on the table from a Japanese Top League team.
According to reports in The Telegraph, work is underway behind the scenes this weekend between the club and Tuilagi that may yet see the England star stay.
After a breakthrough season in 2010/11 when he was named Young Player of the Year by Tigers supporters, club colleagues and the RPA, Tuilagi won a first Premiership title in 2012/13, scoring a try in the Final win against Northampton Saints.
He has 43 senior caps with England and gained selection for the Lions in Australia in 2013.
Comments on RugbyPass
After their 5/0 start, I had the Crusaders to finish Top 4 only…they lost the plot in Perth but will reload and back themselves vs 4th placed Rebels…
3 Go to commentsBoth nations missed a great opportunity to book a game that would have had a lot of interest from around the world. I understand these games can’t be organised in 5 minutes but they should have found a way to make it happen. I don’t think Wales are ducking anyone but it’s a bad look haha.
3 Go to commentsIt will be fascinating to see the effect that Jo Yapp has. If they can compete with Canada and give BFs a run for their money that will be progress
1 Go to commentsFollowing his dream and putting in the work. Go well young fella!
3 Go to commentsPerhaps filling Twickenham is one of Mitchell’s KPIs. I doubt whether both September matches will be at Twickenham on consecutive weekends. I would take the BF one to a large provincial stadium so as not to give them the advantage and experience of playing at Twickenham before a large crowd prior to the RWC.
2 Go to commentsvery unfortunate for Kitshoff, but big opportunity potentially for Nché to prove he is genuinely the best loosehead in the world, rather than just a specialist finisher. Presuming that if Kitshoff is out, it will also give Steenekamp a chance to come into the 23? Or are others likely to be ahead of him?
1 Go to commentsA long held question in popular culture asks if art imitates life or does the latter influence the former? Over this 6 nations I can ask the same question of the media influencing the thoughts of its audience or vice versa. Nobody wants to see cricket scores in rugby, as a spectacle it is not sustainable. With so many articles about England’s procession and lack of competition it feeds the epicaricacy of many looking for an opportunity to pounce. England are not the first team to dominate nor does it happen only in rugby, think Federer, Nadal, Red Bull or Mercedes, Manchester Utd, Australia in tests and World Cups. Instead of celebrating the achievements why find reasons to falsify it pointing towards larger playing pool, professional for a longer period or mitigate with the lack of growth in other nations. Can we not enjoy it while it is here and know that it won’t last for ever, others coveting what England have will soon take the crown, ask the aforementioned?
6 Go to commentsShame he won’t turn out for the Netherlands now they’re improving. U20s are Euro champs and in the U20 Trophy this year. The senior sides gets better every year too.
3 Go to commentsWill rugbypass tv be showing these games?
1 Go to commentsWell where do you start, the fact that England have a professional domestic league and Ireland’s is fully amatuer, that they have fully seperated professional squads at Fifteens and Sevens (7’s thinly disguised as GB), and Ireland have fully pro Sevens squad who loan some players back to the Semi-Professional Fifteens squad (moved from amateur for only a year or so) for a few games at 6N & RWC’s. The Women’s games is a shambles, and is at risk of killing itself by pushing for professionalism when the market isn’t really there to support it outside one or two countnries..
6 Go to commentsWayne Smith's input didn't have as much impact on the last final as Davison's red card for Thompson. England were 14 points up and flying when that happened.
6 Go to commentsBilly's been playing consistently well for 2 - 3 seasons now and deserves a look in at the top level. Ioane and ALB are still first choice but there needs to be injury cover and succession. His partnership with Jordie gives him first dibs you'd think. Go the Hurricanes.
3 Go to commentsIt’s not up to Wales to support Georgian Rugby. That’s up to International Rugby and Georgia. I sympathise with Georgia’s decent attempt to create this fixture. But for Wales the proposed match up is just a potential stick to beat them with and a potential big psychological blow that young Welsh team doesn’t need. (I’m Irish BTW.)
3 Go to commentsCale certainly looks great in space, but as you say, he has struggled in contact. At 23 years old, turning 24 this year, he should be close to full physical maturity and yet there exists a considerable gap in the power and physicality required for international rugby. Weight doesn’t automatically equate to power and physicality either. Can he go from a player who’s being physically dominated in Super rugby to physically dominating in international rugby in 1 or 2 years? That’s a big ask but he may end up being a late bloomer.
29 Go to commentsIf rugby wants to remain interesting in the AI era then it will need to work on changing the rules. AI will reduce the tactical advantage of smart game plans, will neutralize primary attacking weapons, and will move rugby from a being a game of inches to a game of millimetres. It will be about sheer athleticism and technique,about avoiding mistakes, and about referees. Many fans will find that boring. The answer is to add creative degrees of freedom to the game. The 50-22 is an example. But we can have fun inventing others, like the right to add more players for X minutes per game, or the equivalent of the 2-point conversion in American football, the ability to call a 12-player scrum, etc. Not saying these are great ideas, but making the point that the more of these alternatives you allow, the less AI will be able to lock down high-probability strategies. This is not because AI does not have the compute power, but because it has more choices and has less data, or less-specific data. That will take time and debate, but big, positive and immediate impact could be in the area of ref/TMO assistance. The technology is easily good enough today to detect forward passes, not-straight lineouts, offside at breakdown/scrum/lineout, obstruction, early/late tackles, and a lot of other things. WR should be ultra aggressive in doing this, as it will really help in an area in which the game is really struggling. In the long run there needs to be substantial creativity applied to the rules. Without that AI (along with all of the pro innovations) will turn rugby into a bash fest.
24 Go to commentsSouth Africa rarely play Ireland and France on these tours. Mostly, England, Scotland and Wales. I wonder why
2 Go to commentsIt was a let’s-see-what-you're-made-of type of a game. The Bulls do look good when the opposition allows them to, but Munster shut them down, and they could not find a way through. Jake should be very worried about their chances in the competition.
2 Go to commentsHats off to Fabian for a very impressive journey to date. Is it as ‘uniquely unlikely’ as Rugby Pass suggests, given Anton Segner’s journey at the Blues?
3 Go to commentsSad that this was not confirmed. When administrators talk about expanding the game they evidently don’t include pathways to the top tier of rugby for teams outside of the old boys club. Rugby deserves better, and certainly Georgia does.
3 Go to commentsLions might take him on if they move on Van Rooyen but I doubt he will want to go back, might consider it a step backwards for himself. Sharks would take him on but if Plumtree goes on to win the challenge cup they will keep him on. Also sharks showing some promising signs recently. Stormers and Bulls are stable and Springboks are already filled up. Quality coach though, interesting to see where he ends up
1 Go to comments