The transfer rumors began last summer as soon as rugby players in the northern hemisphere began to take a well-deserved holiday following a season that lasted nearly a full year. They stopped rolling before the 2021-22 season (which you can bet on by visiting the best rugby betting sites on Bookmaker-Expert.com that accept Boku and similar payment methods) began, but one transfer rumor was on the verge of giving us a huge hit. However, it was never completed. The Green Rockets Tokatsu, a Japanese team, has offered Finn Russell a deal worth more than £1 million (€1.2 million) per season. If Scotland’s fly-half had made the transition, he would have become the highest-paid rugby player on the planet.
So, have you ever wondered who the world’s highest-paid rugby players are? Here is the list of the highest-paid players of this sport at the moment:
#1 Charles Piutau (€1.2 million)
The New Zealander has been earning €1.2 million with the Bristol Bears for some time, making him the first player in British rugby to accomplish so.
#2 Handré Pollard (€1.2 million)
When he signed for France’s Montpellier after the 2019 Rugby World Cup, the South African became the joint-highest paid player on the planet, alongside Piutau.
#3 Eben Etzebeth (€1.1 million)
The South African flanker playing for Toulon is in the final year of a 3-year contract in the south of France, where he’s said to be earning little under €1.2 million.
#4 Finn Russell (€1 million)
In 2020, the dynamic Scottish fly-half signed a new 3-year contract with Racing 92. According to reports, he earns up to €1 million. However, French rugby sources have already stated that the actual wage is likely to be much lower, considering that he supposedly took a pay cut to stay in Paris, despite the offer from Japan mentioned earlier in the text.
#5 Beauden Barrett (€935,200)
Barrett signed a 4-year contract with the New Zealand Rugby Union in 2019, reportedly worth €647,400 per year, according to local media. The fullback, on the other hand, earned €935,200 during his year in Japan with Suntory Sungoliath in 2020, according to UK sources.
#6 Virimi Vakatawa (€935,200)
According to sources in France, ‘Les Bleus’ center signed a hefty contract with Racing 92 two years ago. Gloucester, an English club, was rumored to be interested in enticing him to Kingsholm during the off-season but was disappointed when he elected to stay in Paris.
#7 Michael Hooper (€900,000)
In 2018, the Australian national team captain signed a new contract with Rugby Australia for €3.8 million over five years. Last season, though, he took a sabbatical in Japan, where he’s said to have earned €900,000 with Toyota Verblitz.
#8 Owen Farrell (€900,000)
The England captain is in the final year of his contract with Saracens and is said to be earning a considerable sum of money. In 2020, it was discovered that he had postponed 90% of his income to assist the club in navigating the financial consequences of the Covid-19 crisis.
#9 Maro Itoje (€900,000+)
Two years ago, when the British flanker was rumored to be interested in joining Racing 92, club president Jacky Lorenzetti revealed that the player wanted €1 million to complete the move. Itoje’s current pay at Saracens is unknown, but it’s widely speculated that he earns in excess of €900,000.
#10 Steven Luatua (€780,400)
The former ‘All Black’ put up his international career to join the Bristol Bears, where he has played an important role in their development. There was some misunderstanding regarding his contract position in the English club this summer, but according to local media, he’s under contract until the end of the 2022-23 season.
