Sport24.co.za | Top Boks reluctant to sign new deals – report
Cape Town – Several of the country’s top rugby players are reportedly refusing to extend their franchise contracts before SA Rugby makes an announcement regarding the contract structure of Springboks.
Most of the top Boks’ dual contracts with their franchises and SA Rugby expire after this year’s Rugby World Cup, and according to Netwerk24, the players want clarity regarding the governing body’s intentions for future remuneration.
This comes after news broke in October last year that SA Rugby was planning on scrapping Springbok contracts, with players to earn bigger Test match fees instead.
The report on the Afrikaans website added that one franchise indicated that most of their top Springboks would head abroad if SA Rugby was to scrap Springbok contracts. It added that the players want long-term financial security instead of match fees.
Springbok players currently do earn match fees but the number would significantly increase to anything between R250 000 and R400 000 per Test if SA Rugby adopts this new policy.
If SA Rugby adopts this new policy from the 2020 season, there would no longer be joint contracts for certain players, which currently sees SA Rugby paying 70% and a provincial union 30%.
It is believed that that players with joint contracts currently earn an average of R3.7 million just from SA Rugby, who spend around R60 million a year on 16 players.