The top five highest-paid rugby players in the world for 2022 have been announced, with Handre Pollard earning more than twice as much as Marcus Smith.
The World Player of the Year is also absent from the list, apparently earning £325k less than the fifth-place finisher.
here are the top five most paid players in world rugby
Maro Itoje
Salary: £825k
When Itoje was rumoured to be interested in joining Racing 92 last year, club president Jacky Lorenzetti revealed that the lock sought €1 million. According to reports, he makes between £800,000 and £850,000 from Sarries.
Finn Russell
Salary: £850k
Last year, Scotland, a brilliant fly-half, signed a new three-year contract with Racing 92. According to the Rugby Paper, he might be worth up to £850,000.
Eben Etzebeth
Salary: £900k
The Springbok enforcer is in the middle of a three-year contract in the south of France, where he is said to be earning little under £1 million.
Charles Piutau
Salary: £1m
The Kiwi has been said to be earning £1 million at Bristol Bears for some time, making him the first player in British rugby to do so. He’ll be out of contract this summer, and a lower salary cap in the Premiership could push him down the pecking order.
Handre Pollard
Salary: £1m
When he signed for Montpellier after the 2019 Rugby World Cup, the Springbok fly-half joined Piutau as the world’s joint-highest paid player. After signing to a £600,000 per season deal with Leicester Tigers, Pollard will be relegated later this year.
