Highest-paid PREM rugby players revealed as Henry Pollock signs bumper new deal
Rugby NewsThursday, 17 September 2026 at 06:41
Highest-paid PREM rugby players revealed as Henry Pollock signs bumper new deal
Henry Pollock has landed a huge pay rise after agreeing a bumper new deal with Northampton Saints.
RUCK understands the England star has agreed terms to extend his stay at Franklin’s Gardens.
The deal follows weeks of talks over his future.
Pollock had been earning around £140,000 per year from Saints. Reports suggest his new deal will be worth around £400,000 per season.
That is a huge increase for the 21-year-old.
It also puts Pollock among the highest-paid players in the PREM.
However, he still has some way to go to catch the league's biggest earners.
PREM clubs do not publish individual player salaries. As a result, the figures below are based on reported contracts and estimates.
The latest PREM salary report gives some useful context.
The average senior player earned £165,181 during the 2024/25 season.
Fly-halves were the best-paid players, with an average salary of £259,602.
Nine clubs also used an excluded player. Those players earned an average of £533,000.
Here are eight of the biggest earners in the PREM right now.
8. Henry Pollock – Northampton Saints
Reported salary: Around £400,000
Pollock's rise has been remarkable.
The back-rower was earning around £140,000 from Northampton on his previous deal.
His new contract is set to take that figure to around £400,000 per year.
It means his club salary has almost trebled.
Pollock can also boost his earnings through his England deal and commercial work.
His agent, Eddie Hearn, has previously suggested the youngster could eventually become a £1million-a-year player.
For now, Saints have managed to keep one of the brightest young talents in world rugby.
7. Ben Earl – Saracens
Estimated salary: £400,000–£450,000
Ben Earl has become one of the biggest names at Saracens.
The back-rower is also a key member of Steve Borthwick's England side.
His club earnings are estimated to sit around the £400,000 mark.
Earl can then add to that through his England contract.
At 28, he should also be entering some of his peak earning years.
6. Tom Curry – Sale Sharks
Estimated salary: £450,000–£500,000
Sale have made no secret of their desire to keep Tom Curry.
The flanker has spent his whole senior club career with the Sharks.
He has also been a regular for England and toured with the British and Irish Lions.
Curry is thought to earn close to £500,000 per year at club level.
His England payments then increase his overall package.
Sale are keen to agree fresh terms with Curry before his current deal expires.
5. Ellis Genge – Bristol Bears
Estimated salary: Around £500,000
Ellis Genge made the move back to Bristol in 2022.
The loosehead had previously captained Leicester Tigers to the Premiership title.
His return to the Bears came with a major contract.
Genge is believed to earn around £500,000 per year.
The England prop can also earn more through his international deal.
He remains one of the most valuable front-row forwards in English rugby.
4. Jamie George – Saracens
Estimated salary: £550,000–£600,000
Jamie George has spent almost his entire professional career at Saracens.
The hooker has won major honours with the club and has more than 100 England caps.
That experience comes at a price.
George has been reported as earning more than £500,000 per season.
His England earnings have also added to his overall income during his career.
The veteran has already confirmed that he plans to retire after the 2027 Rugby World Cup.
3. Tommy Freeman – Northampton Saints
Estimated salary: £550,000–£650,000
Northampton have spent big to keep Tommy Freeman.
The England and Lions star has developed into one of the best backs in the PREM.
His new Saints deal reflects that rise.
A report from Rugby Pass suggests Freeman is now the highest-paid winger in the league.
That is notable when compared with the rest of the position.
The latest PREM salary report found that the average winger earned just £132,303.
Freeman is earning several times that figure.
2. Maro Itoje – Saracens
Estimated package: £800,000–£950,000
Maro Itoje remains one of English rugby's biggest earners.
The Saracens lock has been at the top of the game for more than a decade.
He is now England captain and remains a central figure for club and country.
Itoje's overall rugby package has been estimated at between £800,000 and £950,000 per year.
That figure includes his earnings from Saracens and England.
The exact split between the two has not been made public.
Either way, few players in the PREM can match his earning power.
1. Finn Russell – Bath Rugby
Reported salary: £900,000–£1million
Finn Russell sits at the top of the list.
Bath made a huge statement when they signed the Scotland fly-half from Racing 92 in 2023.
His original contract was widely reported to be worth close to £1million per season.
Russell has since extended his stay at The Rec until 2028.
The value of that new contract has not been made public.
However, the Scotland star remains one of the highest-paid players in club rugby.
His salary also helps explain why fly-halves sit comfortably at the top of the PREM's positional pay table.
Russell has proved to be worth the investment.
He has become the key figure in Bath's attack and helped transform the club into one of the leading sides in English rugby.
For now, Pollock has some catching up to do.
But after seeing his salary rise from around £140,000 to £400,000 at just 21, he could soon be challenging the names at the top.
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- Jordie Barrett over Damian de Allende is far from being correct. The hype around Dupont is also overreaching, he's probably 4th in the world and has been since the 2023 WC. He also avoids certain matchups which is strange. The rest of the list is pretty good apart from minor subjective biases.JasonMarlow16-09-2026
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