How Much Do Rugby Players Make?

by , 28 June 2023

The question, “How much do rugby players make?” is not straightforward, as the earnings of rugby players can vary greatly. This article will delve into rugby’s financial aspects, examining the earnings differences between Rugby League and Union players. We will also shed light on the earnings of female rugby players and those representing their country. The disparity between the lowest and highest-paid rugby stars is significant, and this piece will highlight the top earners, their careers, and how they amassed their wealth. Additionally, we will explore their international income, which can often surpass their club earnings.

How much do rugby players make?

Rugby is a game celebrated for its physicality and professionalism that pushes even the best to their limits when they play, and rugby betting is popular at sports betting sites. Famous for the crunching tackles and speed, the game has become one of the most appreciated team sports in the world.

As much as people engage in the sport and the players, there is little information about their income, especially compared to other sports, such as football, where people take note of salaries and transfer details and even websites like the BBC have a daily gossip page that talks about footballers wages.

Therefore this article will tackle the question, “how much do rugby players earn”. We look at the earnings of rugby athletes in the two main variants of the sport, Rugby Union and Rugby League and the comparison between the earnings of players in the United Kingdom and International Rugby.

Earnings of Rugby Players Across Various Leagues

A professional rugby athlete earns an average annual wage of £48,744.

Domestic teams, on the other hand, offer top regional athletes contracts worth £584,999.14 to £682,498.99.

In this section, we will look at how much the players in the Premiership earn; then, we will focus on Rugby Union and Rugby League, which are almost similar but have differences in monetary terms.

The Premiership

The quick answer to how much clubs pay players depends on how much a team can spend on player compensation. First, let’s look at how much the premiership rugby players earn. Focus on the governing body that regulates the pay ceiling, which was implemented to level the playing field for all clubs.

First, let’s group the income in terms of positions; then, we look at how clubs are subject to the salaries and regulations put in place.

As in other sports, the player’s position can significantly impact their pay cheques.

The average salary for a Premiership Rugby senior player is £171,187. The hookers earn £113,000 and scrum-halves £118,000, are the lowest earners in the ranking. Centres take home £168,000, with locks making around £159,000. Fly halves are top of the food chain as the highest-paid position averaging £176,000 annually.

There is the factor of experience as the players with over a century in caps in the Premiership averaging around £205,000 annually. The same goes for players with over fifty international caps who are the highest-paid in the league, bagging £325,000 annually, which is almost double the average wage.

Each club has a salary cap of £5,000,000 for the 2022-23 Gallagher Premiership season. One of the primary limits applied to the wage limit is that each team may exclude two players from salary cap estimations. Teams such as Bristol City and Saracens have demonstrated their ability to attract superstar talent partly because of that exclusion, proving that this is done so that teams may still attract superstar talent.

There are also a few alternative credit systems accessible, and teams may surpass their credit restrictions depending on the conditions. Wounded player credits, for example, are worth £400,000. As a result, injured players will not count toward the wage cap of £400,000, allowing Premiership teams to replace them if required.

The Premiership Rugby League encourages clubs to nurture homegrown talent. Consequently, £600,000 in Home Grown Player Credits are available, but each player may only use £50,000 of them. They were established to encourage teams to take up young English talent and provide them with first-team contracts while not influencing the salary cap.

Premiership Rugby has stated they understand how tough it is to find replacements for players called up for international duty. As a result, they have international player credits that may be used to compensate for absences during international periods, with a cap of £80,000 per player.

Difference Between Earning In Rugby Union And Rugby League

Despite certain similarities, we highlight the difference between how much the Rugby Union and the Rugby League players earn.

Rugby League players may sign contracts for international tours and competitions for £45,000 to £60,000, whilst top rugby union players can earn up to £15,000 each match.

Each England player can expect to earn around £75,000 in Rugby Union, regardless of how much time they spend in the 28-man squad during the Six Nations.

The decision is an implementation by the player committee that established an equal pay scheme in March 2021, which replaced the old one, which only offered a full match fee of £17,000 to players in the 23-man playing squad.

Despite the disparities on the international stage, the highest-paid Rugby League and Union players earn around the same amount of money.

Handre Pollard of South Africa and Charles Piutau of New Zealand each make about £1 million annually in Rugby Union.

In Ruby League, many of the sport’s top earners play in the Australian National Rugby League (NRL). These include; Daly Cherry-Evans’ $10 million contract with the Sea Eagles, Johnathan Thurston’s $4.8 million contract with the Cowboys, Kieran Foran’s $4.8 million contract with the Eels and Jason Taumalolo’s $10 million contract with the Cowboys.

Comparison of Earnings in the UK and International Rugby

This section will give us a detailed view of how much rugby players make in the UK.

First and foremost, we must understand that rugby is the second most popular winter sport in the United Kingdom after football. Despite the popularity, rugby players are paid significantly less than their football counterparts. Football is so popular that fans keep tabs on every transaction on salaries and transfer fees of their stars. Although many rugby fans are interested in the financial side of things, player’s salaries are not headline news in the sport.

An accomplished premiership rugby player earns between £78,755.00 and £118,128.00 per year in the United Kingdom.

Wages at the high end vary from £393,760.00 to £630,016.00 per year.

Academy players called to the first team roster may earn between £31,492.40 and £78,755.00 annually.

Rugby player wages vary greatly, so we’ve prepared the table below to give you a comprehensive perspective. The explanation continues below these figures.

Rugby Player Salary Categories
Player category Weekly wage Monthly salary Annual salary
Academy £312-£520 £1,250-2,083 15k-25k
Senior squad (low-end) £833-£2,083 £3,333-£8,333 40k-100k
Senior squad (medium end) £2,083-£3,125 £8,333-£12,500 100k-150k
Senior squad (high-end) £3,125-8,333 £12,500-33,333 150k-400k
Marquee player £8,333-£18,750 £33,333-£75,000 £400-900k
Marquee player plus England* £12,083-£20,835 £48,333-£83,340 £580k-£1,000,080
Championship (low-end) £208-625 £833-£2,500 £10k-£30k
Championship (medium end) £625-£1250 £2,500-£5,000 £30k-£60k
Championship (high-end) £1250-£1,875 £5,000-£7,500 £60-£90k

The Premiership Rugby in the United Kingdom has a salary cap. Although this is subject to change, the current wage maximum of £5,000,000 is significantly lower than a few years ago. This reduction has caused anger among players who have lately had to accept reduced terms.

The colossal financial crisis during the Covid-19 pandemic affected how clubs manage their expenditures after they couldn’t generate income due to decreasing broadcast and no gate income because of the lockdown.

The salary cap refers to the money teams may spend on their squad of players. They cannot pay more than the club’s overall wage ceiling for its players. Most clubs feature 50 to 60 paid players, with most of the roster consisting of regular senior pros from the club’s academy and some overseas stars.

Although each player’s compensation may vary depending on what the coaches feel they are worth and how well the player or agent bargains must stay within the set amounts. For now, let’s see how the math works out. Divide the 5,000,000 pay maximum by the 55 players to get a mean wage of £90,909 per year, or £7,575 per month, or £1,894 per week. From this vantage point, it is evident why the data in the table begins to make sense.

The salary cap law has a notable exception that permits teams to recruit up to two so-called “marquee” players whose salaries are not subject to the cap. With this exception, the league can attract great players from all over the world. Marquee players earn between £400,000 and £1,000,000 per year, or whatever the club owners can afford.

Being chosen to play for one’s country’s rugby team is a tremendous honour for a rugby player. Every player’s dream is to represent their nation internationally and hear the national anthem played while reciting every word before the game.

In countries where they eat, drink and live for rugby, such as New Zealand, South Africa, and England, the players are content with the pay they are given to achieve the goal of wearing the national team jersey.

Rugby players from foreign countries representing their home country are frequently rewarded with a predetermined match fee. Each player’s fixed match fee goes from £4,329.49 to £12,594.88. However, not all international teams operate in this manner. Rugby players make the majority of their money through sponsorships and club contracts.

Most rugby fans know that, despite the sport’s passionate supporters in some countries, rugby players seldom make large amounts of money, except for the most prominent stars representing rugby-loving nations.

So, how much money do rugby players make on a global scale?

The table below shows the best estimations of each player’s earnings while representing various prominent international rugby teams. As you can see, fixed match pay-outs, excluding win bonuses, can vary substantially.

Currency Conversion
Country Local Currency Sterling Pounds (£)
Australia 10,000 AUD 5,116.67
England 15,000 GBP 13,370.84
France 12,000 EUR 9,383.18
Ireland 7,000 EUR 5,474.18
South Africa 6,000 USD 4,718.52
Wales 5,500 GBP 4,921.86
New Zealand 7,500 NZD 5,110.56
Scotland 5,500 GBP 3,372.97

The fixed match fees may increase depending on the importance of the game. Players are frequently paid less for Test matches than during World Cup games. The prizes for winning essential games, such as the World Cup championship rounds, might exceed the standard set match compensation.

According to estimations, the South African Rugby Union gave each South African £55,036.80 in incentives for winning the 2019 World Cup final matches. Thus, it is essential to note that the players’ income is mainly predetermined by their performance in events and, most of the time, offered as additional bonuses to supplement the pay.

Earnings of Rugby Players in England

Let’s shift the focus to how much England rugby players get paid.

One of the most significant differences between football and rugby is that international rugby players often keep the money they earn from representing their country during international football games.

England football players earn about £2,000 per game, but since 2007, they have donated their appearance fee to the England Football Foundation. This gesture has raised more than £5m over the last 15 years.

Rugby players keeping their fee is hardly unexpected when considering the wage inequalities between professional footballers and rugby players.

Since March 2021, every England player started receiving £15,000 for each match. It applies to all athletes, not just those chosen for the 23-man matchday squad. Since senior players agreed to implement it in 2021, the money will be handed to every player called up to the England squad. Under the former arrangement, players in the 23-man matchday squad would have paid £23,000 for each appearance, but England elected to introduce equal remuneration for all players in the training squad.

England players are recognised for their accomplishments based on the tournament or event. While prize money is frequently provided at the competition, the Rugby Football Union (England’s national rugby regulating body) also gives additional incentives for participation.

For example, in the 2019 Rugby World Cup, the winning side received only £325,000, or £10,000 per player. If the Red Roses had won the title, its talents would have collected 6 million pounds or £220,000 apiece. Regrettably, they lost the final at the hands of the Springboks.

The winning team in the Six Nations competition receives 5 million pounds in prize money (this increases to 6 million pounds if the winning team completes a Grand Slam by winning all five games). The RFU also offers England players a £700,000 incentive or £30,000 per player.

Earnings of Women Rugby Players in England

After highlighting the men’s game, in this section, the attention switches to the women’s game which is enjoying a surge in popularity.

To answer the question, “ho much do England’s women rugby players get paid?” professional female rugby players for England earn between £26K and £32K per year.

In addition, to help pay expenditures, England players who attend training camps are paid assembly fees. Match fees, roughly £800, are delivered to the matchday team players. The amount accumulates to around £7,200 each year.

The RFU (England’s Rugby Football Union) divides contractual players into different salary groups based on experience and performance.

The starting salary for a young player on their first contract is £26K. After three to four years of international competition, players get an increased wage of around £28,500 yearly. As you can see, the increase isn’t as significant as why just a few players reach the top tier, earning £32K, the highest.

Unpaid amateurs still play the vast majority of club rugby in England. Premier 15s is a brand-new club tournament launched by the RFU in 2016. The team as a whole has a salary cap of £120,000. Remember that this is not the most that any particular player may earn. It reflects the total incentive for a team of about 40 people. If all players were paid the same, which they are not, it would only equate to £3,000 every season.

Some clubs are widely known for not providing remuneration beyond small match costs. However, such a shallow foundation is becoming increasingly unusual. Match fees start at £50 and may reach £250 for the most significant players. Only a few clubs provide semi-professional contracts to their finest players. Examples of these clubs include Saracens and Harlequins, who offer better contracts.

Earnings of Rugby Players in Wales

Thanks to their success on the field, Wales’ rugby players have earned significant bonuses on top of their club salaries in recent years after a successful unbeaten run. The team, under coach Warren Gatland, won all nine fixtures, including a historic clean sweep against Scotland, Australia, Tonga, and South Africa, as well as a Six Nations Grand Slam. The highest bonus earners were lock Adam Beard and hooker Elliot Dee, who were part of the match-day 23 for every game and likely received around £166,000 each before tax. Other players in the match-day 23 on eight occasions, including captain Alun Wyn Jones, earned approximately £151,000 in-game fees, image rights, and win bonuses.

Wales received a total payout of £5.5 million for their Grand Slam, with £4.5 million for lifting the European championship and an additional £1 million for winning all their fixtures.

Wales pays its players a match fee of around £5,300 per game and an image-rights payment of £1,500 per player per campaign.

However, they also have a bonus system that allows players to earn up to £15,000 per match. Completing the Grand Slam resulted in an additional £1.4 million in bonuses. The Welsh Rugby Union’s budget policy assumes a fourth-place finish in the championship, which brings in £1.8 million, so dominating the tournament provided a significant £3.7 million boost to their finances. The WRU spent £3.5 million on National Dual Contracts players, including top players like Alun Wyn Jones and George North, a decrease of £800,000 compared to the previous year as these contracts are gradually phased out.

In comparison, England’s players earn substantially more, approximately £22,000 per game, excluding bonuses. England’s squad also receives large bonuses for other Test victories.

  • The players representing Wales in rugby receive an estimated match fee of around £5,300 for each game.
  • In addition to this, they are compensated with an image-rights payment of £1,500 per player for each campaign – be it autumn, Six Nations, or the end of season tour.
  • A win-bonus system is in place that can potentially increase their earnings to £15,000 per game.
  • The Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) has implemented a rewarding bonus system to incentivise players for victories achieved by Wales.
  • The WRU received a substantial £5.5m in prize money for Wales’ Grand Slam achievement.
  • Additional compensation to Wales squad members for participating in WRU commercial events is provided.

However, while Welsh players are doing well at the international level and are well-paid, the domestic scene in Wales is far from healthy, and players had threatened to strike ahead of the Six Nations match with England earlier this year.

Players have accused the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) of failings as an organisation, and a dispute means Cardiff Rugby, Dragons, Scarlets and Ospreys could not recruit new players or individuals ahead of the 2023/24 season.

One player, who didn’t wish to be named, said, “I can’t believe I’m five months away from the end of my contract and eight months away from the World Cup, and my future isn’t certain yet. I can’t apply for a mortgage, and I’m on antidepressants. I’m also one big injury away from not having a job in July, yet I’m starting for Wales every week, and the WRU is making tens of millions from international matches.”

While Cardiff captain Josh Turnbull said: “This is NOT about what players earn. It’s the fact players don’t know if they have a job in 4 months’ time!”

“The vulnerable and uncertain situation is causing severe stress and well-being issues, and this is increasing day by day.”

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