The former England skipper will reportedly on be on an eye-watering salary when he joins Racing 92
Former England captain Owen Farrell is preparing for his final few weeks as a Saracens player before he starts his new life in France next season.
The legendary fly-half, who left Test rugby after the World Cup last year, has played for Saracens since he was a teenager. However, he will soon say farewell as he prepares to sign with Racing 92 of France. In addition to being the first player to quit English rugby, the move will net him an incredible salary because his new team is known for paying its top players well.
However, how much does he pay compared to other players in the game? The stated incomes of rugby’s best earners are listed below; as you might assume, these particulars are strictly confidential.
Handre Pollard (South Africa) – £610,000
The Springbok fly-half reportedly took home more than a million pounds a year during his time at Montpellier, making him one of rugby’s biggest ever earners. However, the 29-year-old took a pay cut when he moved to Leicester Tigers ahead of the 2022/23 season and now earns a reported £610,000 per year.
Steven Luatua (Samoa) – £620,000
The former All Black, who represented Samoa at last year’s World Cup gave up his international career to join Bristol Bears in 2017, signing a contract worth a reported £620,000 a year.
Antoine Dupont (France) – £700,000
The talismanic scrum-half, who will compete at the Paris Olympics with the French Sevens team, has a reported salary of £700,000 with Toulouse. However, this figure may change in the coming months with reports suggesting he will consider a brief sabbatical in Japan after switching back to the 15-a-side game.
Dan Biggar (Wales) – £800,000
The only Welshman on the list, Biggar used to earn around £600,000 during his time at Northampton Saints, but saw his salaray increase by a third when he moved to French giants Toulon, where he is reportedly earning around £800,000.
Siya Kolisi (South Africa) – £800,000
The two-time World Cup-winning Springbok captain reportedly commands a salary of around £800,000 at Racing 92, but it is yet to be seen if Owen Farrell’s arrival at the club next season will affect its highest earners.
Maro Itoje (England) – £800,000
Itoje agreed a hybrid deal with Saracens and England earlier this year, on the understanding that his salary would be topped up by the RFU. Last year, the union announced plans to introduce approximately 25 hybrid deals of around £150,000 each, with clubs paying the rest of the wages. However, no finalised contract has been signed.
The towering lock currently earns a reported £800,000 with Sarries but this could change when the above contract is signed, which should be in the autumn if all goes to plan. Following the World Cup, he was reportedly offered around one million Euros to join Lyon, while Racing 92 president Jack Lorenzetti claimed Itoje wanted a similar amount when he was linked with a move to France in 2020.
Faf De Klerk (South Africa)- £900,000
The South African scrum-half is one of the game’s highest earners, reportedly taking home £900,000 a year with Japanese side Yokohama Canon Eagles, who he joined from Sale Sharks in 2022.
Cheslin Kolbe (South Africa) – £937,000
After moving to Toulon, the Springbok player reportedly started making about a million euros a year. The club also paid rival Toulouse a whopping £2.23 million transfer fee in exchange for the player’s services.
Despite still having one year left on his contract, Toulon dismissed him at the end of the previous season. Following his release, he had a plethora of lucrative offers, and it is said that he turned down a huge £2.7 million deal from the Sharks.
Ultimately, he signed with Suntory Sungoliath of Japan, where he would reportedly make an incredible £900,000 when he rejoins them following the World Cup.
Finn Russell (Scotland) – £1million
Scotland’s talismanic fly-half had been taking home £850,000 a year at Racing 92, but the deal he signed with Bath last year is understood to be even more lucrative. Having moved to the Rec after the World Cup, Russell reportedly earns between £950,000 and £1million a year with the Premiership club,.
Owen Farrell (England) – £1.2 million
With his contract with Saracens coming to an end, Farrell was apparently going to have to take a significant pay reduction from his £800,000 wage in order to stay at the club. Last year, it appeared as though Farrell would fall totally off the list of the highest earners in the game.
However, Farrell declared in January that he was leaving Sarries after 15 years to join Racing 92, having given up on Test rugby for the foreseeable future. Although there are little details available, it is known that he will make more than his current salary—reports from France indicate he may end up collecting as much as £1.2 million annually.
He would be the highest-paid player in the world at that amount.
