THE Super Rugby competition to kick off the southern hemisphere season is just over two months away and while the financial situation in Australia and South Africa hasn’t been promising, it’s all smiles in New Zealand following the recent signing of a new collective agreement for the next three years.
The improved terms are made possible by a 100 per cent increase in broadcast revenue and the financial bonanza expected from the British and Irish Lions tour in June.
In addition to higher salaries, there will also be better bonuses and incentive schemes. Players can also contribute to a savings scheme that allows them to take a split windfall at the age of 34 and 40.
With the improved scheme, New Zealand may soon have its first millionaire player solely from salary payments.
The big names expected to be the first to benefit are All Blacks captain Kieran Read, who is off contract next year, lock Sam Whitelock and utility back Ben Smith, both also off contract in 2017, with the latter on the radar of rich French clubs.
All Blacks supporters are hoping that an improved package will entice Smith to stay home and be in the reckoning for the next World Cup.
New superstar Beauden Barrett, who a few months ago signed a new contract through to the 2019 World Cup, and also lock Brodie Retallick, are also expected to make some gains sooner than later by having new clauses added into their contracts.
The next group to benefit is players knocking on the doors of All Black selection who can now expect salaries almost equal to offers coming from France and England especially.
Most of the money for the improved schemes will come from a budget that will rise from NZ$121 million (about RM375 million) to $191 million (RM592 million).
For Barrett the new deal adds to what has been an outstanding season for him and younger brother Jordie, the second player after Ardie Savea to go on tour with the All Blacks as an apprentice.
The utility back will join big brother at the Hurricanes from the next Super Rugby.
The older Barrett who was some weeks ago named World Rugby Player of the Year was this week named Super Rugby Player of the Year at the NZ Rugby Awards and also Kelvin Tremain Memorial Player of the Year.
Jordie was named Age Group Player of the Year and Mitre 10 Cup Player of the Year.
On the other side of the world in South Africa, administrators are still looking for solutions to possibly their worst season since the sport went fully professional in 1995, the year the Springboks won the World Cup at home after coming out of international isolation due to the country’s apartheid policy.
A steering committee of the national union recently had a session to receive feedback from coach Allister Coetzee, retiring captain Adriaan Strauss and senior players Pat Lambie and Tendai “the Beast” Mtawarira.
SA Rugby president Mark Alexander emphasised that it was not a witch hunt but rather an exercise to interrogate what went wrong during a season when the Springboks lost eight of 12 Tests, to find answers and ensure there is no repeat.
Much of the speculation thus far is that Coetzee will be replaced but this will only be decided next month.
There are mitigating factors in favour of Coetzee. One is that he was only appointed last April and that gave him very little time to look at the players and prepare the team, beginning with the June Tests.
Secondly, Coetzee was not given the freedom to choose his support staff.
Then there is the issue of money, whether or not the union can afford to offer a decent salary to a new coach, apart from having to compensate Coetzee for a termination of his contract two years early.
Even if the offer is good, not many proven coaches may be tempted to take up the job, given the state South African rugby is in, with many senior players playing offshore and thereby weakening domestic rugby.