how much do pro rugby players earn?

we hear so much rumours and speculation over how much pro rugby players earn and the massive increase in wages for those who play in the French top 14 but does anyone really know roughly how much a pro rugby player earns these days? and the difference perhaps between the likes of Gethin Jenkins, Leigh Halfpenny, Adam Jones who are established internationals plying their trade in Wales compared with the likes of Mike Phillips, Lee Byrne & James Hook, and also perhaps the average regional player such as Gavin Evans, Andy Fenby etc.

i dunno dude- i suppose most top players earn about 200k in salary- but they get more for internationals and lions and stuff

I thought there was talk that the guys who went to France were trebling their wages?

I think Bowe was on 200k I think? Wasn't he the highest paid player in Wales?

The England EPS deal gives the clubs £150k for every EPS squad member at that club. This is often the basic salary these EPS players will get from their clubs, but some clubs choose to give a bit more or less depending on the player. The salary cap in the Aviva Premiership is around £4.2million, so if you think of a squad size of about 42 (for sake of easy numbers) the average wage would be £100k a year, plus any kit deals or endorsements which are separate. Young players will earn less than that average, more experienced guys will be on more, especially if they have moved around a bit. There is a new rule regarding the salary cap in the AP, whereby 1 player can be designated the 'marque' player and earn up to around £300k outside of the cap. This will usually be a foreign international star like Castro at Leicester, Evans at Quins or Cowan at Gloucester.

I don't know details about the Welsh players but I guess it will be quite similar to this. I'd guess a Wales international will earn into six figures (I think Cuthbert recently signed a new £100k deal with the Blues), and the average Rabo journeyman might get somewhere 40k-80k depending on their age.

Don't really know,but in Rabo or AP think about 200k is the benchmark for a good international. Also different positions attract premiums - Front Row, etc. Differentials between nations are huge, hence why so many players head to Japan. On top of that you have international fees and for the big guys image rights, advertising, etc. I'm sure I read somewhere a few years ago that Chabal was the best paid sportsman in France.

Didn't Sébastien Chabal allegedly earn a million a year a few years back? Now that was considered highest in world terms and I'm sure still pretty high in France...but there are a lot of good players in France, and may I say, in my mind most of them better than Chabal was! - so I'm not so certain many of those, or their agents, would accept too much less than the highest earner.

I'd guess average top end is 500,000 to 600,000.... gradually sliding down. Introductory rates (Welsh players coming in) would I'm sure earn at least 100,000 above their earnings in Wales. I'd assume so or otherwise why go? I think top Irish players get between 200,000 and 300,000

If chabal is the highest paod sportsmman in france there is something wrong- there top footballers earn about 10 times what there top rugby players earn

mystiroakey wrote:If chabal is the highest paod sportsmman in france there is something wrong- there top footballers earn about 10 times what there top rugby players earn

He was...didn't say he still is. But even when he was, he was by no means good enough as a player to be earning it...BUT...I can understand why he was being paid it all the same. He was a colossal image, very popular...great for marketing and French clubs aren't dumb. He was probably taking in much more than his club was spending on him... he was an ad break who played a little.

mystiroakey wrote:If chabal is the highest paod sportsmman in france there is something wrong- there top footballers earn about 10 times what there top rugby players earn

Was around France at that time, he'd a ridiculous number of advertising deals his face was on billboards and on TV everywhere. That's what made the money.

sorry i actually meant was not is. seems crazy to me. to think that no footballer was paid more than 1 mill a year at the time

Complete speculation but I'd guess Wilko gets about half a million from Toulon and more than doubles that with endorsements and advertising. But that will be the very top end, like Chabal.

There were reports recently that a Japanese side have offered Sonny Bill Williams US$1.5million (£960k) for next season. That would be the highest basic salary in world rugby.

Don't think he got the Gillette ad in France tho. There was a missed opportunity.

look guys i have checked it out and the only thing about chabal on line is that he was the highest paid rugby player on 1 mill euros in 2010 which i can believe. but trust me there were 100's of higher paid sportsman based in france at the time

I tend to agree with mystiroakey on this one. A million a year is less than 20k a week and plenty of footballers are on a hell of a lot more than that. Top footballers get millions a year from their clubs and more from all the other stuff. Did Chabal really get what must be somewhere in the region of 5-10million from advertising in a year?

mystiroakey wrote:look guys i have checked it out and the only thing about chabal on line is that he was the highest paid rugby player on 1 mill euros in 2010 which i can believe. but trust me there were 100's of higher paid sportsman based in france at the time

But I think we all appreciate that oakey? Did anyone say he was the highest paid sportsman in France at the time? I mentioned him under the cloak of this being about rugby. I suggested he was once the highest paid rugby player in the world...not close to being the highest paid sportsman in France.

oops sorry...someone DID claim to have heard the sportman bit ...sorry just after seeing it

sorry dude i must have read it wrong

The spread at Ulster is roughly £40,000 to £320,000

" I'm sure I read somewhere a few years ago that Chabal was the best paid sportsman in France"

i take it back lol it was said- i thought i was going mad

jeffwinger wrote:I tend to agree with mystiroakey on this one. A million a year is less than 20k a week and plenty of footballers are on a hell of a lot more than that. Top footballers get millions a year from their clubs and more from all the other stuff. Did Chabal really get what must be somewhere in the region of 5-10million from advertising in a year?

Jeff, I'd say you're "streets ahead" on this topic. (I'm guessing no one else will get that, besides us!) Love the name

Spoiler:

ROG was on somewhere close to 400k around 2009 between endorsements and everything

annie is so hot!!!!!

Thomond wrote:

jeffwinger wrote:I tend to agree with mystiroakey on this one. A million a year is less than 20k a week and plenty of footballers are on a hell of a lot more than that. Top footballers get millions a year from their clubs and more from all the other stuff. Did Chabal really get what must be somewhere in the region of 5-10million from advertising in a year?

Jeff, I'd say you're "streets ahead" on this topic. (I'm guessing no one else will get that, besides us!) Love the name

Spoiler:

Correct .....but the curious do have computers and I've come up with a character and a quote from a show I've never watched, seen or heard about before called Community?

Yes... Yes she is, mystiroakey.

I'm glad there are like minds out there Thomond.

SecretFly, it's amazing.

yeah its a good watch.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/rugbyunion/article-1377710/All-Blacks-star-Dan-Carter-worlds-best-paid-player-Racing-Metro-offer-4m-deal.html

This article is a little out of date but £750k for Hooky apparently. I wouldn't mind guessing that Melon is going to on a least that next year...