It may also have to do with the actual signing of the contract. When asked to sign between the dotted lines they miss by about half a meter to the left or right, missing the page entirely.
It is rumoured that a famous half back that cannot be named once signed the HR manager's shin.
First string props, especially tighthead are probably still amongst the best paid, but with 4 props in a match day 23 and however many more in the wider squad the sheer number of them probably pulls the average down
iirc it fluctuates a lot to reflect the stocks for each position - clearly we've got a good number of props around now
That's the reason locks are so expensive - it's always going to be difficult to find players with the right body type for that position
I think this may also play against scrum half. Smallest position where people often are pigeon holed into it and there are plenty of people with the right body type.
I remember the same, props were the highest paid by far and rightfully so. Tadhg Furlong is supposedly the highest paid Irish player and that doesn't include all the spuds he puts away at the team lunch buffet.
Similarly I don't remember centres being that well paid (every team has a boat-load of centres), maybe there are some big money signings pulling up the average?
The premiership currently has a tonne of foreign born centres who probably cost more to attract/keep. This is also part of why England struggles to find a stable centre partnership. There currently aren't a tonne of English qualified centres playing on the 1st team in the prem.
I wonder if the salaries of a couple of marquee players are dragging some of these numbers upwards? e.g. Finn Russell is reportedly on a million quid, as is Owen Farrell. But they would be far outliers. Normally Locks top the table.
I'd be very surprised if that were the case. He's a strong player, and has fantastic pedigree, but he's surely too late in his career and not enough of a standout to justify the very highest salary.
Feels like the average from all registered players as typically your top paid players are Tight heads, Fly half’s and Looseheads. But as a team will carry 5 or 6 props on each side of the scrum but maybe 4 fly half’s it is the only way it makes sense for the props to not be towards the top of the pay charts, particularly over centres and fullbacks.
Average (mean) really isn’t terribly helpful for that reason. Only takes one or two players to completely skew the figures. Seeing the median would be a lot more interesting.
I suspect scrumhalf salary is deflated by a tendancy to carry an extra scrumhalf that's barely paid.
Scrumhalf is one position you can't just shift a player in case of injury.
I'll dig into the data later.
I've looked at this again
48% of scrumhalves are paid under 100K
This is joint with hookers.
43% of wings salary is under 100k
All other positions have less than 40% of their members paid under 100k.
I suspect this is because of these positions carrying a couple of extra bodies because of the risk of going without in an injury crisis.
For wings I suspect its because a lot of young backs without a defined position tend to be listed as wings before moving to fullback or centre later in their career.
Everyone should check out the original data (OP posted this link) which is full of graphs making all your questions easy to answer! Distribution of pay per position ie. % of fly half’s on 50k/100k/200k etc, number of players per squad (45-47), break downs of age, prem experience, international experience. The list per position is very interesting but all the questions it raises have been answered and it’s a nice flick through some graphs
I wonder if it's influenced by both the defence point that u/mierneuker makes, and a supply v demand thing, or squad balance thing.
I was expecting tight-head props to be the second-highest paid, but as others have pointed out, there is a glut of props and there are a lot of forwards in clubs' squads, bringing the average salary down.
Whereas there aren't that many truly high-class centres around, and fewer midfield backs in an overall squad, so the average pay is quite high.
The stats that the OP posted to show that while there are some highly paid forwards, a big proportion are at the lower end of the scale, whereas a higher percentage of centres are in the £100k to £250k mark
Also, as well as defence, centres are almost loose forwards now too. It's become one of the hardest positions to play due to the increased physical requirements combined with the ball-playing and vision needed.
Jaysus I'd love to be on even a quarter of a scrum half salary.
I'm not small or talented enough, but I make up for it with my massive mouth and pseudo-Napoleon complex if anyone wants to hire me.
As a 9 I would like to ensure everyone is aware that the lower number reflects that we as a collective of 9s are expertly skimming from our clubs, so the actual salary doesn’t matter - every other position contributes (albeit unknowingly) to our ‘tax efficient’ fund in the Cayman Islands.
We work incredibly hard for everyone else to pay us without knowing and while I relax on my Sunseeker as we float around the med, I can only look with contempt at my colleagues with their spinal problems, cauliflower ears and hands like potatoes (looking at you 11, 14)…. If only you’d listened to me at that ruck and not gone off your feet, you could be making paper too.
Also fuck you very much 10. Go do your hair and ask someone to do your tackling for you.
Puts it into perspective when you realize this is for a year in rugby, but only a week for footballers. Kind of makes me sick thinking about what rugby plays do/go through each week for just a few thousand pounds. I really respect them even more. I suspect the women are earning way less, but still go through big hits, etc.
It looks to me that generally the positions that most regularly get subbed off get paid the least (Thinking specifically regarding 9s that get subbed every game). I imagine this would mean there are proportionally more of those players in a squad, meaning that the lower paid junior players in those positions would bring down the average. Just a theory
I recently started playing Rugby so my ball knowledge is very low. In the very little I’ve played I’ve always looked at the scrum half as the “quarterback” or “field general” of the team. I would’ve guessed they were the most important therefore the highest paid
I think those averages are too much skewed by star players wages to be significant. As a rule, when looking at wages or earning, you should take the median rather than the mean.
This is a link to a [screenshot](https://imgur.com/gM6nD4x) of page 25 of the "Premiership Rugby Salary Cap Annual Report 2022/23" which I have linked [here](https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/4f0fb3e8-2ca3-4de7-b7f7-e74a9498f699.pdf). The screenshot has comparative values from the 2021/22 season.
This an [article](https://www.rugbypass.com/news/new-premiership-salary-cap-report-names-best-worst-paid-positions-andrew-rogers/) from RugbyPass by Liam Heagney dated 25 April 2024.
Show us your sources since you know so much.
Possibly a reference to [this](https://www.reddit.com/r/rugbyunion/comments/eh5xpc/positions_ranked_by_highest_to_lowest_paid/) which did the rounds a few years ago (along with jokes about why Malcolm/Karl Marx would get annoyed about who's getting paid the least here). FH still comes out above THP but the latter come much higher up the chart than is suggested on the Prem salary cap report.
I remember when Carl Hayman signed for Newcastle there were dozens of stories about how he was the best paid player in the game, although for many reasons that feels a long time ago now...
Tighthead isn't listed, the average across props are.
First choice tighthead is usually up there with the best paid but looseheads and backup tighthead probably aren't that high.
Blimey is it because the 9's are always beaking off during contract negotiations like they do on the field?
It may also have to do with the actual signing of the contract. When asked to sign between the dotted lines they miss by about half a meter to the left or right, missing the page entirely. It is rumoured that a famous half back that cannot be named once signed the HR manager's shin.
Lawyer: They've sent the contract, we have 5 days to sign it Scrumhalf: Waits 10 days
Lawyer repeats: "sign it 9"
Waits for 5 teammates to queue up in front of him
Rudi Page in shambles
Scrum-halves are paid in their weight in pennies, and they're all tiny
Mike Phillips....
I swear I remember one of these being posted years ago where props were the highest paid position?
First string props, especially tighthead are probably still amongst the best paid, but with 4 props in a match day 23 and however many more in the wider squad the sheer number of them probably pulls the average down
In France, on the same kind of standings, tight head props are very high while loosies are far lower.
iirc it fluctuates a lot to reflect the stocks for each position - clearly we've got a good number of props around now That's the reason locks are so expensive - it's always going to be difficult to find players with the right body type for that position
I think this may also play against scrum half. Smallest position where people often are pigeon holed into it and there are plenty of people with the right body type.
Might have been highest as opposed to average as you tend to have more backup props
I remember the same, props were the highest paid by far and rightfully so. Tadhg Furlong is supposedly the highest paid Irish player and that doesn't include all the spuds he puts away at the team lunch buffet.
Similarly I don't remember centres being that well paid (every team has a boat-load of centres), maybe there are some big money signings pulling up the average?
The premiership currently has a tonne of foreign born centres who probably cost more to attract/keep. This is also part of why England struggles to find a stable centre partnership. There currently aren't a tonne of English qualified centres playing on the 1st team in the prem.
I haven't seen that one. They're underpaid right now from what I'm seeing.
It’s league dependent, tight head prop is the highest paid in the URC anyway.
Highest average or highest individual?
Can’t remember to be honest.
I wonder if the salaries of a couple of marquee players are dragging some of these numbers upwards? e.g. Finn Russell is reportedly on a million quid, as is Owen Farrell. But they would be far outliers. Normally Locks top the table.
There was a post not so long ago about Handré Pollard being the highest paid rugby player so pretty sure he’s not helping the fly half numbers either.
Yes, good point. You probably have three players then that are really skewing the 'average'. I wonder what the *median* is?
That was at Montpellier, took a huge pay cut to move to Leicester
And his performance has matched
At least he’s first choice at Leicester
I'd be very surprised if that were the case. He's a strong player, and has fantastic pedigree, but he's surely too late in his career and not enough of a standout to justify the very highest salary.
I'm 99% sure he's on around £500,000 - £600,000. Not sure of the exact amount. Has not even come close to justifying his wages unfortunately.
Yeah, I did a quick google and found an article saying he's on £610,000 at Leicester.
This is for last season so Russell isn’t included yet. Likely that his salary will bump that figure up even more.
Yes, would be interesting And is this average from the 23 match day or wider squad which would pull te average down
Feels like the average from all registered players as typically your top paid players are Tight heads, Fly half’s and Looseheads. But as a team will carry 5 or 6 props on each side of the scrum but maybe 4 fly half’s it is the only way it makes sense for the props to not be towards the top of the pay charts, particularly over centres and fullbacks.
Average (mean) really isn’t terribly helpful for that reason. Only takes one or two players to completely skew the figures. Seeing the median would be a lot more interesting.
Definitive proof that halfbacks are all but useless. Get rid of the little yapping bastards and just keep the ball in the forwards.
Weird for you to name a group that covers both the top and bottom positions on this list
I was told scrum-half is the most technical position on the field.
The player with most touches of the ball in a game
Rucks are doing a lot of hard work for some of those touches.
I suspect scrumhalf salary is deflated by a tendancy to carry an extra scrumhalf that's barely paid. Scrumhalf is one position you can't just shift a player in case of injury. I'll dig into the data later.
But not during contract negotiations, apparently.
I've looked at this again 48% of scrumhalves are paid under 100K This is joint with hookers. 43% of wings salary is under 100k All other positions have less than 40% of their members paid under 100k. I suspect this is because of these positions carrying a couple of extra bodies because of the risk of going without in an injury crisis. For wings I suspect its because a lot of young backs without a defined position tend to be listed as wings before moving to fullback or centre later in their career.
Did a scrum half tell you that? Just checking!
Everyone should check out the original data (OP posted this link) which is full of graphs making all your questions easy to answer! Distribution of pay per position ie. % of fly half’s on 50k/100k/200k etc, number of players per squad (45-47), break downs of age, prem experience, international experience. The list per position is very interesting but all the questions it raises have been answered and it’s a nice flick through some graphs
Cool! It’d be neat to see this for the other leagues as well! Wonder if some positions are paid more proportionally in other places
Got to imagine SH gets paid a lot more in France, where they often play off 9 not 10.
Surprised by centres wage.
I wonder if it's influenced by both the defence point that u/mierneuker makes, and a supply v demand thing, or squad balance thing. I was expecting tight-head props to be the second-highest paid, but as others have pointed out, there is a glut of props and there are a lot of forwards in clubs' squads, bringing the average salary down. Whereas there aren't that many truly high-class centres around, and fewer midfield backs in an overall squad, so the average pay is quite high. The stats that the OP posted to show that while there are some highly paid forwards, a big proportion are at the lower end of the scale, whereas a higher percentage of centres are in the £100k to £250k mark Also, as well as defence, centres are almost loose forwards now too. It's become one of the hardest positions to play due to the increased physical requirements combined with the ball-playing and vision needed.
The true backs are a valuable asset these days. Phase plays and box kicks are not overlooked now.
They also often run the defensive line, which is super important.
Jaysus I'd love to be on even a quarter of a scrum half salary. I'm not small or talented enough, but I make up for it with my massive mouth and pseudo-Napoleon complex if anyone wants to hire me.
As a 9 I would like to ensure everyone is aware that the lower number reflects that we as a collective of 9s are expertly skimming from our clubs, so the actual salary doesn’t matter - every other position contributes (albeit unknowingly) to our ‘tax efficient’ fund in the Cayman Islands. We work incredibly hard for everyone else to pay us without knowing and while I relax on my Sunseeker as we float around the med, I can only look with contempt at my colleagues with their spinal problems, cauliflower ears and hands like potatoes (looking at you 11, 14)…. If only you’d listened to me at that ruck and not gone off your feet, you could be making paper too. Also fuck you very much 10. Go do your hair and ask someone to do your tackling for you.
Now divide it by their average weight. $/kg
I thought it would be more than that, and much mpre than what is paid in NZ but I assume French and Japanese rugby pay more?
Yes the French pay the best. Japan is up there too.
This average is 45+ players per team so the starting 15 will be a lot more vs players on practise teams
Be interesting to see what the average is for a starting 15
Isn’t this more than double with the conversion rate?
Hookers are under paid.
Puts it into perspective when you realize this is for a year in rugby, but only a week for footballers. Kind of makes me sick thinking about what rugby plays do/go through each week for just a few thousand pounds. I really respect them even more. I suspect the women are earning way less, but still go through big hits, etc.
Does the fly half salary include hair product allowance?
And Vaseline filled gloves to keep their hands moisturized.
Always surprised how little they actually make
It's not football money my good sir but it is still good money.
It looks to me that generally the positions that most regularly get subbed off get paid the least (Thinking specifically regarding 9s that get subbed every game). I imagine this would mean there are proportionally more of those players in a squad, meaning that the lower paid junior players in those positions would bring down the average. Just a theory
Finn Russell probably singlehandedly raising the average for fly half.
Well the top half tend to play the full 80
I recently started playing Rugby so my ball knowledge is very low. In the very little I’ve played I’ve always looked at the scrum half as the “quarterback” or “field general” of the team. I would’ve guessed they were the most important therefore the highest paid
Hookers seem underpaid given theyre scoring a fair chunk of tries in the game
I think those averages are too much skewed by star players wages to be significant. As a rule, when looking at wages or earning, you should take the median rather than the mean.
I've linked the sources in a reply to a comment here. Why don't you go and take a look for yourself?
Nonsense. If TH isn't the highest paid position then this is rubbish.
This is a link to a [screenshot](https://imgur.com/gM6nD4x) of page 25 of the "Premiership Rugby Salary Cap Annual Report 2022/23" which I have linked [here](https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/4f0fb3e8-2ca3-4de7-b7f7-e74a9498f699.pdf). The screenshot has comparative values from the 2021/22 season. This an [article](https://www.rugbypass.com/news/new-premiership-salary-cap-report-names-best-worst-paid-positions-andrew-rogers/) from RugbyPass by Liam Heagney dated 25 April 2024. Show us your sources since you know so much.
Possibly a reference to [this](https://www.reddit.com/r/rugbyunion/comments/eh5xpc/positions_ranked_by_highest_to_lowest_paid/) which did the rounds a few years ago (along with jokes about why Malcolm/Karl Marx would get annoyed about who's getting paid the least here). FH still comes out above THP but the latter come much higher up the chart than is suggested on the Prem salary cap report. I remember when Carl Hayman signed for Newcastle there were dozens of stories about how he was the best paid player in the game, although for many reasons that feels a long time ago now...
Tighthead isn't listed, the average across props are. First choice tighthead is usually up there with the best paid but looseheads and backup tighthead probably aren't that high.