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Eddie Hearn has issued a stunning ultimatum to Northampton Saints, warning them that they risk losing England international Henry Pollock unless they make him a “seven-figure player”.
The boxing promoter now manages the back-rower through his Matchroom Talent Agency and has told Northampton that he is now far more valuable than his current club contract – believed to be in the region of £150,000-a-year – reflects. Instead, he believes that Pollock’s commercial worth means he should be commanding a salary of £1 million or more.
“Northampton have to recognise what they have got,” Hearn told The Telegraph. “Henry Pollock drives season ticket sales. Henry Pollock puts bums on the seats. Henry Pollock drives viewership. Henry Pollock sells shirts.
“He’s certainly a seven-figure player,” Hearn added. “When I look at other players that are on those kind of numbers, Henry’s commercial value is on another stratosphere to them.”
Such a salary would make Pollock one of the highest-paid players on the planet at the age of just 21, especially with previous big-earners like Owen Farrell, Siya Kolisi, Cheslin Kolbe and Faf de Klerk thought to have taken sizeable pay cuts in recent years.
While contract details are closely guarded by clubs, here are the players reportedly earning the most in world rugby today.
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10. Handre Pollard (Bulls) – £650,000
One of several Springbok stars to make the highest earners list, Pollard is thought to have agreed a lucrative contract with the Bulls when he returned to the club last summer.
Despite leaving Leicester Tigers, the fly-half did not take a pay cut to return to his native South Africa, with his reported salary of £650,000 believed to be two or three times’ those of most of his teammates.
9. Jesse Kriel (Yokohama Canon Eagles) – £700,000
Kriel is believed to bank a hefty salary with Japanese side Yokohama Canon Eagles.
The two-time World Cup winner has been plying his trade in Japan since 2020 after leaving the Bulls in his native South Africa, and was named as the Eagles’ first-ever foreign-born captain last year.
Having pledged to stay at the club until they win a league title, the 32-year-old back could now well see out his career in Japan, and earn a pretty penny in the process.
8. Pieter-Steph Du Toit (Toyota Verblitz) – £750,000
Another South African star in Japan, the two-time World Rugby Player of the Year is one of the highest paid forwards in the game.
Du Toit put pen to paper on a multi-year deal with Toyota Verblitz in 2021 and is believed to take home an annual salary of around three-quarters of a million pounds.
7. Eben Etzebeth (Sharks) – £775,000
As well as one of the most colourful characters in world rugby, Etzebeth is also one of the sport’s highest earners.
A key figure for both club and country, the Springboks’ record-cap holder is believed to take home around £775,000 a year, with his total package thought to combine his earnings with the Sharks as well as support from SA Rugby and other commercial arrangements.
6. Malcolm Marx (Kubota Spears) – £800,000
The world-class Springboks hooker is another benefitting from playing their club rugby in Japan, reportedly earning around £800,00 a year with Kubota Spears.
Having joined the club in 2021, Marx quickly became a talismanic figure and last year agreed a contract extension that will keep him in Japan until next year’s Rugby World Cup.
5. Maro Itoje (Saracens) – £800,000
As an England and British & Irish Lions captain, it is perhaps no surprise that Itoje is one of PREM Rugby’s, and the world’s, highest-paid players.
The towering lock is thought to earn around £800,000 per year, with his overall package taking into account his contract with Saracens and an RFU enhanced agreement, which is reported to be worth just over £150,000 annually.
4. Damian de Allende (Saitama Wild Knights)- £800,000
The veteran Springbok is yet another taking home a sizeable salary in Japan, reportedly banking £800,000 a year with the Knights,
Believed to be one of the highest-paid South Africa internationals in world rugby right now, de Allende’s contract in Japan runs until next summer, by which time he’ll be 35 years old.
3. Romain Ntamack (Toulouse) – £1 million
The Frenchman reportedly commands a seven-figure salary at Toulouse, having put pen to paper on a new mega-money deal in 2022.
Forming one of the all-time great half-back pairings alongside Antoine Dupont, Ntamack has nearly won it all in professional rugby and is believed to be just one of three players currently earning the equivalent of one million pounds a year or more.
2. Finn Russell (Bath) – £1 million
The Bath and Scotland fly-half remains the highest-paid player in PREM Rugby, with the 33-year-old believed to still be taking home between £950,000 and £1 million a year.
Having initially signed a deal at the Rec for the seven-figure sum in 2023, he extended his contract with the club last summer to stay until 2028.
Russell has previously been taking home around £850,000 a year while in the Top 14 with Racing 92.
1. Antoine Dupont (Toulouse) – £1.2 million
The French talisman is still the best player in world rugby, perhaps the greatest ever, and commands an enormous salary as a result.
Playing for Toulouse in the Top 14, Dupont is believed to earn a record £1.2 million per year, having signed a landmark contract extension with the club last year.
The scrum-half’s new deal runs until 2031 and is set to bank him over £7 million in that time, with his personal wealth also boosted by lucrative partnerships with huge brands like Adidas and Peugeot.
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