Highest-paid players in the 2023 Six Nations

Saturday, 04 February 2023 at 12:58

byRugby Rucker

Your complete guide to the top five highest-paid rugby players in the 2023 Six Nations, including who earns the most.

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All figures mentioned are before tax and do not include the array of bonuses and extra fees stashed away in the fine print of every contract.

Players' various sponsorship deals are also not included but, in some cases, add extra zeroes to the end of their pay cheques.

Highest-paid players in the 2023 Six Nations

#5. Stuart Hogg (Exeter Chiefs) - £580,000 per season

The Scottish captain is said to have increased his annual salary by approximately £200,000 after leaving Glasgow Warriors for Exeter Chiefs following the 2019 Rugby World Cup.

Try Celebrations for Stuart Hogg of Exeter Chiefs during the European Rugby Champions Cup Match between Exeter Chiefs and Montpellier at Sandy Park on 11 December 2021. Photo: Tom Sandberg/PPAUK

Stuart Hogg facts:

Hogg got married in 2016 to long-term partner Gill and they have three children together, Archie, Olivia and George.

JK Rowling once said Hogg would be a squib in the Harry Potter universe, which means he is wizard born with no magical powers. However, the author later changed her statement and said the Scottish star would be a wizard.

Hogg received back-to-back Player of the Six Nations awards, in 2016 and 2017

His guilty pleasure is watching Countdown and he says: “I’m the king of three- or four-letter words.”

Hogg’s brother Graham played for Scotland in the World Sevens Series

#4. Owen Farrell (England) - £800,000 per season

In 2020, the England captain signed a contract with Saracens that will keep him there until the 2023 World Cup at the minimum.

Recent rumours claimed that he signed a lucrative new deal raising his salary to approximately £820,000, but these reports could not be verified.

However, it was previously disclosed that he deferred 90% of his salary to assist the club during the Covid-19 pandemic's financial impact.

Owen Farrell of Saracens during the Heineken Champions Cup match between Saracens and Racing 92 at Allianz Park, Hendon, London on the 19th January 2020 | Photo: James Fearn/PPAUK.

Owen Farrell facts

The Saracens star went to school with England teammate George Ford

His education began in rugby league – he joined Wigan St Patricks at the age of eight

He became the youngest ever player to appear in English professional rugby, making his debut aged 17 and 11 days. This record was later beaten by schoolmate Ford

It’s well known that Owen is the son of Ireland head coach Andy Farrell. However, it’s less commonly know that his uncle Sean O’Loughlin is also a rugby league legend, winning 34 caps for Great Britain between 1993 and 2009

He was not at first registered as a Farrell, but took mum Colleen’s family name of O’Loughlin. The couple married in 1995, changing Owen’s surname to Farrell the following year.

#3. Dan Biggar (Wales) - £800,000 per season

Biggar, the only Welsh player on the list, was previously earning approximately £600,000 at Northampton Saints after transferring from the Ospreys. He recently left the Saints for French powerhouse Toulon, where he is said to be earning approximately £800,000.

Dan Biggar of Northampton Saints kicks the penalty to take the lead during the European Champions Cup, Quarter-final match between Exeter Chiefs and Northampton Saints at Sandy Park on 20 Sept 2020. Photo: Phil Mingo/PPAUK.

Dan Biggar facts:

Biggar has twice been selected to tour with the British and Irish Lions (2017 & 2021)

On 7 December 2015, Biggar won the BBC Cymru Sports Personality of the Year Award

Biggar came through the Ospreys development pathway, having attended Gowerton Comprehensive School in Swansea

The fly-half has his own routine before kicking goals, which fans now call “The Biggarena” after Los Del Rio’s 1995 hit, Macarena

#2. Maro Itoje (England) - £800,000 per season

Two years ago, rumors of Itoje's potential move to Racing 92 were circulating, and club president Jacky Lorenzetti revealed that the lock sought 1 million euros for the transfer to occur.

The exact salary Itoje receives at Saracens is uncertain, but reports suggest he earns approximately £800,000.

Maro Itoje of Saracens during the Gallagher Premiership Rugby Final Match between Leicester Tigers and Saracens at Twickenham Stadium on 18 June 2022. Photo: Tom Sandberg/PPAUK

Maro Itoje facts:

His full name is Oghenemaro Miles Itoje

Itoje is a lifelong Arsenal fan. In 2019 during his off season, he was allowed to train with the Arsenal first team and was even pictured in their jersey

Itoje is signed to Roc Nation Sports, a sports management company owned by musician Jay-Z.

In 2018, Maro completed a Politics degree from the School of Oriental and African Studies in London

Itoje has featured as a model in campaigns for Ralph Lauren, M&S and the Sanderson group, just to name a few

#1. Finn Russell (Scotland) - £1million per season

The Scottish fly-half, known for his inconsistent performance, was earning £850,000 annually at Racing 92.

However, it is believed that his contract with Bath, a Premiership club, is even more profitable.

Some sources estimate his salary to be around £950,000, while others claim it is a staggering £1 million per year for the next three years at the Rec.

Finn Russell facts:

His father played a lot of racket sports, and worked in sports administration, including as Director of Domestic Rugby for the Scottish Rugby Union

After secondary school, he pursued an apprenticeship for three years as a stonemason, in a business owned by a family friend, whilst his rugby developed

Russell has been nicknamed ‘Russell the Muscle’ due to having a somewhat slender build for a modern-day rugby player

Fly-half Russell was capped with the Barbarians against England during the mid-year rugby tests

In 2013 Russell received the John Macphail Scholarship, linked with New Zealand’s Lincoln University