IRFU central contracts

I'm a big fan of the central contract system (not a good time for an Englishman as his cricket team has been royally sha88ed by Biltog's lot). But I went on to the IRFU site http://www.irishrugby.ie/news/search.php and did a search for them as there was no obvious link elsewhere on the site.

No results found.

was the response.

Who's actually centrally-contracted for Ireland?

Its top secret.....

Well off the top of my head:

Ulster: Ferris, Best, Court, Wallace, Bowe, Trimble

Leinster: BOD, D'arcy, Kearney, Sexton, Ross, Healy, Heaslip, O'Brien(?).

Munster: POC, DOC, Earls, ROG, Murray

Portnoy wrote:I'm a big fan of the central contract system (not a good time for an Englishman as his cricket team has been royally sha88ed by Biltog's lot). But I went on to the IRFU site http://www.irishrugby.ie/news/search.php and did a search for them as there was no obvious link elsewhere on the site.

No results found.

was the response.

Who's actually centrally-contracted for Ireland?

1. Cian Healy (not sure about Tom Court)
2. Rory Best
3. Mike Ross
4. DOC & Donncha Ryan
5. POC
6. Ferris
7. No one (wally & denis Leamy had one up to when they retired)
8. Heaslip
9. No one (used be Tomas O'Leary)
10. ROG & Sexton
11. Keith Earls (used to have Luke Fitz as well)
12. Gordon D'Arcy & Paddy Wallace
13. BOD
14. Tommy Bowe & Andrew Trimble
15. Kearney

Think that is about it. Dont think I've left anyone out.

Is the list not published?

Sexton? Why did he play so many games last season?

Portnoy wrote:Is the list not published?

Sexton? Why did he play so many games last season?

Why would they publish a list?

They usually just say it when new contracts are announced i.e.,

The Irish Rugby Football Union and Leinster Rugby are pleased to announce that Gordon D'Arcy has signed a new international contract that will see him remain in Ireland to play with Leinster for a further two seasons until 2014.

Last year was exceptional for no. of games to be played because of the world cup. Sexton was probably lucky injury wise as well as reaching the finals of the two domestic competitions.

I think Sin é has it about right. Can't think of anyone else.

I though Sean O'Brien and Conor Murray had recently gained contracts?

I thought one of the reasons TOL left Munster was that his central contract had gone to Murray?

Sean O'brien signed a 3-year deal with Leinster in Jan 2011.

Ireland internationals Sean O'Brien, Shane Jennings and Devin Toner are among five players to agree new contracts with Leinster.

Back row players O'Brien and Jennings have signed three-year contract extensions while lock Toner has agreed a new two-year deal.

Murray signed a Munster contract in Jan '11 (prob. 2 years - Munster don't go into details - he is included in 11 contracts that include Ian Nagle, Mike Sherry, O'Mahony).

Hang on!

Are you telling me that nobody knows definitively who's centrally contacted?

That's bizarre.

Is it Portnoys?

Not many other employers publish full details of their employees contract details. Why should the IRFU? Normally an employment contract is between employer and employee- why do we have a right to know?

Notch wrote:Is it Portnoys?

Not many other employers publish full details of their employees contract details. Why should the IRFU? Normally an employment contract is between employer and employee- why do we have a right to know?

Most companies do openly have a list of their employees names though.

ScarletSpiderman wrote:

Notch wrote:Is it Portnoys?

Not many other employers publish full details of their employees contract details. Why should the IRFU? Normally an employment contract is between employer and employee- why do we have a right to know?

Most companies do openly have a list of their employees names though.

All pro rugby players in Ireland are employees of the IRFU (including Doug Howlett etc), so thats your list of employees.

If your list is'nt bang on Sin é then i will eat my hat.

Sin's list is probably right, would be more or less who I had anyway (I'm pretty sure Murray has one though).


This must be the first time we've universally agreed with Sin é on an Irish thread



Well except for Rodders as usual.

Thomond wrote:Well except for Rodders as usual.

Thomond wrote:Sin's list is probably right, would be more or less who I had anyway (I'm pretty sure Murray has one though).


This must be the first time we've universally agreed with Sin é on an Irish thread



Well except for Rodders as usual.

Can I now nominate Portnoy for a Nobel Peace Prize?

Thomond wrote:Sin's list is probably right, would be more or less who I had anyway (I'm pretty sure Murray has one though).

This must be the first time we've universally agreed with Sin é on an Irish thread

No mention of Murray having any sort of a contract on the IRFU site. Only mention is on the Munster site how Murray got a full contract (rather than Dev. Contract) straight from the Munster Academy.

Now why would the IRFU want to give Murray a central contract when he is already in a contract with Munster and they can get him for half nothing? (obvously he will get appearance fees etc).

Well except for Rodders as usual.

Considering Rods (& a few others) are clueless about who has central contract, I hope they are not chancing their arm elsewhere extolling the evils of giving certain players central contracts and how it affects the national selection process.

Sin é wrote:

Well except for Rodders as usual.

Considering Rods (& a few others) are clueless about who has central contract, I hope they are not chancing their arm elsewhere extolling the evils of giving certain players central contracts and how it affects the national selection process.

Well considering I picked all the players you did I think that would make you clueless too then?

Seems that only GCSQ (RU branch) may have any definitive list of centrally-contracted. Maybe the (non-rugby) Sean Fitzpatrick knows.

Apparently it's a state secret?

rodders wrote:

Sin é wrote:

Well except for Rodders as usual.

Considering Rods (& a few others) are clueless about who has central contract, I hope they are not chancing their arm elsewhere extolling the evils of giving certain players central contracts and how it affects the national selection process.

Well considering I picked all the players you did I think that would make you clueless too then?

No you didn't, ya chancer.

Post by rodders Today at 11:34 am
I though Sean O'Brien and Conor Murray had recently gained contracts?

I thought one of the reasons TOL left Munster was that his central contract had gone to Murray?

rodders, i do believe you have been owned

Sin é wrote:

ScarletSpiderman wrote:

Notch wrote:Is it Portnoys?

Not many other employers publish full details of their employees contract details. Why should the IRFU? Normally an employment contract is between employer and employee- why do we have a right to know?

Most companies do openly have a list of their employees names though.

All pro rugby players in Ireland are employees of the IRFU (including Doug Howlett etc), so thats your list of employees.

Yeah pretty much. The difference is some players are paid by their branch and by the IRFU centrally, for which the national management get more direct control over the players.

It's a difference in the employees role, not their employer.

eirebilly wrote:rodders, i do believe you have been owned

You're all a bunch of culchie turnip eating bolar hatted bible bashing chino wearing ladyboys.

Stick yer silly central contracts I'm away to the hockey boards .

rodders wrote:

eirebilly wrote:rodders, i do believe you have been owned

You're all a bunch of culchie turnip eating bolar hatted bible bashing chino wearing ladyboys.

Stick yer silly central contracts I'm away to the hockey boards .

OK I'll stay

rodders wrote:

eirebilly wrote:rodders, i do believe you have been owned

You're all a bunch of culchie turnip eating bolar hatted bible bashing chino wearing ladyboys.

Stick yer silly central contracts I'm away to the hockey boards .

Rods, I'm bookmarking this for when you come out with your next schizophrenic statement.

You have to if you want that with me and Gibbo

There's one thing I wish they did keep an updated list of on teams websites. Injuries. Not to much detail. Just a list of who's out injured, what the injury is, and a rough estimate of how long each will be out for. I often wonder why certain players aren't playing and only find out here that he's out injured, and it's difficult to find out how long he'll be out for. It would be handy for fans if this info was available and regularly updated on a teams website.

With regard to who's on central contracts, I think Sin has named them all.

Feckless, I once emailed Ulster Rugby to ask the same question. They said they couldn't put too much information online about players fitness (or lack of) in case it became useful information to the opposition.

Can anyone find a source for those names?

I've seen a number of reports on the web that there are actually 30 central contracts, to be reduced to 22, and they include Reddan, Cronin, Gavin Duffy and Leo Cullen as well.

There you go Rods

30 april 2012 - from IRFU website. (Note D'Arcy gets a separate announcement for his international contract).
Leinster Rugby have announced details of 18 contract extensions and two new signings as the province's squad for the 2012/13 season takes shape.
With a lot of renewals completed last year, Leinster have tied up a number of the frontline and future contracts for next season and - in a number of cases - beyond.

Ireland international Kevin McLaughlin has signed a three-year deal, while there are two-year extensions for fellow internationals Isaac Boss, Gordon D'Arcy, Eoin Reddan and Rhys Ruddock.

.......

Leinster's regular captain Leo Cullen, Fionn Carr, John Cooney, Brendan Macken and Springbok prop Heinke van der Merwe have all agreed one-year deals, while Mark Flanagan and Tom Sexton have signed one-year development contracts.

http://www.irishrugby.ie/news/26406.php

24 January 2011
Leinster Rugby have announced the signing of Ireland hooker Sean Cronin, who will join the province in the summer on a two-year deal.

http://www.irishrugby.ie/news/21939.php

6 April 2012
Connacht full-back and captain Gavin Duffy has penned a contract extension which will keep him at the Sportsground until at least 2014.

http://www.irishrugby.ie/news/26192.php

So far I have been able to establish information on the following contracts

BOD - 2012/13
Sexton - 2012/13
Heaslip - 2013/14
Trimble - 2012/13
Healy - 2012/13
DOC - 2013/14
ROG - 2012/13
Ferris - 2012/13
Kearney - 2012/13

How much do the IRFU pay for centrally-contracted players? And do they all get the same retainer?

Nobody really explained why Sexton had so much game-time last season. Did he get special dispensation from the IRFU or was he within their regulations?

He's a flyhalf

I thought it was because he was uninjured and the world cup was on. Pretty sure it's already been said.

Portnoy wrote:How much do the IRFU pay for centrally-contracted players? And do they all get the same retainer?

It varies. Top earners would be BOD & POC. Would also be dependent on position played. In the good times, BOD was on about 500K per annum and Luke Fitz was on 280K. All have been reduced now. Think BOD is on about 350K and Luke was originally offered 200K (which he wasn't happy about and then the IRFU took back the offer and he is now just on a provincial contract with Leinster).

Nobody really explained why Sexton had so much game-time last season. Did he get special dispensation from the IRFU or was he within their regulations?

Not all players are on the same routine. Its dependent on position and age etc. etc. All international players had a big workload last year because of the world cup and Leinster got to two club final, so he wasn't going to be rested for those. Jamie Heaslip & Sean O'Brien would have played as much (except Jamie was injured for the last NZ Test).

Portnoy wrote:How much do the IRFU pay for centrally-contracted players? And do they all get the same retainer?

Nobody really explained why Sexton had so much game-time last season. Did he get special dispensation from the IRFU or was he within their regulations?

Did Sexton have so much gametime?

I thought Madigan played 10 for leinster a fair bit in the Rabo and group stages of the Heino?

Sin é wrote:
It varies. Top earners would be BOD & POC. Would also be dependent on position played. In the good times, BOD was on about 500K per annum and Luke Fitz was on 280K. All have been reduced now. Think BOD is on about 350K and Luke was originally offered 200K (which he wasn't happy about and then the IRFU took back the offer and he is now just on a provincial contract with Leinster).

Bowe is the highest earner is he not, rumours are he is on 350k sterling.

I thought the issue with Fitzgerald was over image rights? He wanted more control or money over the use of his image or something, like O'Driscoll has. The IRFU wouldn't agree.

Did Sexton have so much gametime?

Sorry rodders, I honestly don't know definitively. But someone on another thread claimed that he played something like 25 games for Leinster alone plus his internationals. That was when squad rotation was under discussion.

Portnoy I don't know the exact figure but I'd imagine that it appeared that Sexton played more games because he missed more at the start of the season because of the RWC and injury and thus played more in the end of season run in.

Also he would have played a bit more because Leinster were in both the HEC and Rabo finals.

The same rules apply to him as the others.

Sexton played 32 games last year I think. 16 for Leinster 16 for Ireland?

I think I heard someone say that, he palyed over 25 anyway.

Thomond wrote:Sexton played 32 games last year I think. 16 for Leinster 16 for Ireland?

I think I heard someone say that, he palyed over 25 anyway.

Thom, you are correct.

Leinster 16 games (15 + 1)
Ireland 16 games (12 + 4)

His season started against Scotland on 6th August 2011 and finished against New Zealand on 23rd June 2012.
Heinke Van Der Merwe played 31 games - all for Leinster.

rodders wrote:

Sin é wrote:
It varies. Top earners would be BOD & POC. Would also be dependent on position played. In the good times, BOD was on about 500K per annum and Luke Fitz was on 280K. All have been reduced now. Think BOD is on about 350K and Luke was originally offered 200K (which he wasn't happy about and then the IRFU took back the offer and he is now just on a provincial contract with Leinster).

Bowe is the highest earner is he not, rumours are he is on 350k sterling.

I thought the issue with Fitzgerald was over image rights? He wanted more control or money over the use of his image or something, like O'Driscoll has. The IRFU wouldn't agree.

Now we know the real reason why Cari fanices him, nada to do with looks, she wants the money the gold digger

So Sexton played about 50% of Leinsters games, that doesn't seem like a lot.

Nice work if you can get it

Can I therefore assume that central contracts are generally welcome in Ireland?

And, I know it's an very different system than in England. But would you, were you English and given the English structure*, be supporting central contracts?
* great leap of the imagination, I know.

p.s. New Zealand (similar to Ireland in set-up) doesn't seem to have a list of centrally-contracted players either unless its this: http://www.allblacks.com/team/ .
A site search for 'central contract' results with 該当する項目は見つかりませんでした。検索条件を変更してください.

If I were English, I would probably support it but aren't the players looked after under the EPS system?

Portnoy wrote:Can I therefore assume that central contracts are generally welcome in Ireland?

No.

They destroy competition for places in the National side and create a culture of complacancy and player power in the National set up. Rather than being a true representative side the National team is run like an exclusive club that unestablished and young players can only break into in exceptional circumstances or if there are injuries. Selection becomes influenced by marketing rights and returns on investment rather than on form and ability.

Central contracts are as cancerous to the prosperity of Irish rugby as the investment banks are to the Irish economy.

That's a very strong statement Rodders


Although I do have some empathy with your views.

Portnoy wrote:Can I therefore assume that central contracts are generally welcome in Ireland?

And, I know it's an very different system than in England. But would you, were you English and given the English structure*, be supporting central contracts?
* great leap of the imagination, I know.

p.s. New Zealand (similar to Ireland in set-up) doesn't seem to have a list of centrally-contracted players either unless its this: http://www.allblacks.com/team/ .
A site search for 'central contract' results with 該当する項目は見つかりませんでした。検索条件を変更してください.

I gave up on trying to search for stuff on the AB's site years ago Portnoy.

But basically, any NZQ player in a Super XV squad (and the squads are named at start of season - I've even collated them for you here http://v2journal.com/super-xv-2012-preview-new-zealand-conference.html). The NZ SXV franchises have less of a role than the Irish provinces in player contracts, which are generally negotiated with the NZRU. The exception being for non-NZQ players, players who haven't reached Super rugby, and mid-season replacements (Mike Delaney at the Highlanders was brought in from Japan to cover fly-half injuries) who's deals are negotiated by the franchises or provinces.

Players who make the ABs squads get a big pay boost (often double or more), and if they're later dropped their pay reverts to SXV levels.