England and Exeter winger Jack Nowell has revealed he’d be happy to accept a paycut and is encouraging teammates to do the same.
Seven Premiership clubs – Bristol Bears, Leicester Tigers, Gloucester, Saracens, Wasps, Worcester Warriors and most recently Sale Sharks – have slashed all staff, including players, by 25%.
“We’ve not been told what our club’s stance is yet but Rob (Baxter) reiterated the RPA email on Friday,” Nowell told the Daily Mail. “These are unprecedented times so we’ll need to take unprecedented measures.
🗣️ “If the clubs really need this to stay afloat then the players will support it. I’ve been at Exeter since I was 16 so if the club said that to me, of course I’d back it.” #GallagherPrem
— Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) March 23, 2020
🏴 Jack Nowell prepared to take pay cut. 👉 https://t.co/4jrY5fOjhQ pic.twitter.com/vUaIiifyd3
“Some boys will be happy about it, others won’t. We’ve got families to look after like everyone else, but we’re realistic that rugby doesn’t have the same finance as Premier League football.
“We all want to have a rugby team to go back to when this is over. That’s why the clubs are doing it. Everyone wants a job to go back to so maybe you need to take a little pay cut or tweak your contract.
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“If the clubs really need this to stay afloat then the players will support it. I’ve been at Exeter since I was 16 so if the club said that to me, of course I’d back it.
“I want my team to survive, I want our league to survive and we all want rugby to enjoy when this is over, so I’m 100 per cent behind it.”
5 things you didn’t know about Jack Nowell
1. Starting out
Exeter’s first-ever British & Irish Lion in 2017, the gifted Cornishman has literally gone from strength to strength since starting out as a youngster with the Cornish Pirates mini’s section.
2. Rugby hero
The winger idolised England legend Jason Robinson.
Nowell said: He’s not the biggest of lads but he could create something out of nothing. When I was younger every single time he got the ball, I used to get excited as he could score from anywhere and he often did.