Top rugby players can earn extraordinary salaries while playing and others make their money after giving up the game; here are the richest rugby players in the world right now.
The richest rugby players in the world
Four of the ten listed are current players with salaries for some at an all-time high.
10 Owen Farrell -R37.4 million ($2 million)
Saracens are back in the Premiership and prepared to reward the faith shown in them by their star men.
One of those is skipper Owen Farrell who has derived the bulk of his $2 million net worth directly from Saracens.
He has been linked with a lucrative move to Racing 92 which could make Farrell even richer. Farrell missed the 2024 Six Nations for personal reasons.
9 Maro Itoje – R37.4 million ($2 million)
Itoje is Farrell’s teammate at England and Saracens and earns a salary comparable to the national skipper.
Still relatively young, Itoje could go on to be one of the biggest earners in rugby history.
Itoje has been offered a reduced contract at Saracens as the club seeks to retain Farrell and stay within salary cap limits.
8 Charles Piutau -R45.6 million ($2.5 million)
Charles Piutau played 17 Tests for the All Blacks before deciding to make a move north.
The Bristol Bears paid him an eyewatering salary during the five seasons he was at the club.
He joined Shizuoka Blue Revs in Japan in 2023 and is now also a Tonga international.
7 Handré Pollard – R50 million ($2.7 million)
The only South African among the top ten, Pollard started making serious money when he left the Bulls for Montpellier.
Leicester Tigers currently pay Pollard a figure rumoured to be in the region of R15 million per season.
Pollard is in his prime earning years right now.
6 Beau Ryan – R187.3 million ($10 million)
Former Rugby League star Beau Ryan has gone on to have a highly successful career as a TV Presenter.
Ryan also released an album in 2014 and is rumoured to be worth close to R200 million.
The five richest rugby players in the world
5 Mike Tindall – R243.6 million ($13 million)
Tindall was a member of the 2003 Rugby World Cup winning squad and married Zara Phillips in 2011.
The former England star has appeared in advertisements for Domino’s Pizza, and Amazon and advertises CBD oil with the company Pueris.
4 Jonny Wilkinson – R540 million ($29 million)
Wilkinson has made a lot of money off the back of his Rugby World Cup-winning drop goal in 2003.
Wilkinson ranks as the second-richest man to lift the Rugby World Cup.
3 Sonny Bill Williams – R563.4 million ($30 million)
Sonny Bill Williams has been a Union and League star and even stepped into the boxing ring.
Williams made huge amounts in endorsements during his career and was well-paid during his time in France.
He married Alana Raffle in 2013.
2 Sir Bill Gammell -R913 million ($50 million)
Sir Bill Gammell, a former Scottish rugby player turned businessman, is a knight of the realm, a philanthropist, and a friend of both the British Prime Minister and the US President.
Gammell may also soon be among the UK’s most successful oil prospectors.
Gammell played against Japan in Tokyo in 1977 and scored four tries in the Scots’ 74-9 victory. He had made his début against Ireland at Murrayfield in 1977, scoring two tries. With a net worth of more than $50 million, he is the second richest rugby player in the world.
The richest rugby player in the world
1 Simon McDowell – R1 billion ($54 million)
Simon McDowell refereed at two Rugby World Cups after his career as a player was cut short by injury.
McDowell spent his whole playing career as a player for the North Ireland football club. After his playing career finished, he became a referee.
Chemical company Kilwaughter is responsible for the bulk of his net worth.
Can the Springboks win three RWCs in a row?
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