NZ Rugby boosts All Blacks’ pay packets

$24.8 mln set aside for top-ups to players salaries

WELLINGTON, New Zealand, Dec 14, (AP): Captain Kieran Read is likely to become the first All Black to earn more than $1 million per season after New Zealand Rugby agreed a major boost in salaries under a collective agreement with its Players’ Association.

In a move detailed on Wednesday, NZR as agreed to boost its player payment pool by $70 million from $120 million to $190 million over the next three years.

The boost recognizes increases in sponsorship and broadcast revenue, including an estimated $40 million windfall from next year’s British and Irish Lions Tour, and is designed to protect New Zealand’s leading players from raids by overseas clubs.

Read comes off contract next year and is poised to announce a new deal through the 2019 Rugby World Cup which could take him through the $1 million barrier.

Former captain Richie McCaw and star flyhalf Dan Carter are thought to have earned more than $1 million from salaries and endorsements but Read’s seven-figure payment would be salary alone, before other earnings.

Many players will benefit as New Zealand Rugby has set aside $24.8 million for top-ups to players salaries from Super Rugby and provincial contracts, an increase of $8.9 million on the previous collective. Player revenue-sharing amounts to around

RUGBY

36.5 percent of NZR’s income from broadcasting and sponsorship.

“We’re really pleased to be in a position where the game has grown its revenue overall,” contracts manager Chris Lendrum said. “This collective was about delivering to the players their fair share of that money because they’ve been so important earning it and then determining what the most efficient way to spend all that money was.”

Lock Brodie Retallick and winger Julian Savea are thought to be among the front-rank of earners in the current All Blacks team at around $800,000 annually. But rich overseas clubs continue to pursue New Zealand’s top players and the latest increases reflect NZR’s determination to repel those offers.

Fullbacks Israel Dagg and Ben Smith and flyhalf Aaron Cruden have been most-recently linked with moves to clubs in France

Read

and Britain. “It’s already come into play with the decisions of some of the senior players over the past 12 months. We’re in a position where we can offer considerably more for those players than the equivalent point four or five years ago and that’s making life a lot easier for us at that level. But there are still challenges and one or two of those players may still go. That’s just the way it is for us.

“They might be looking at anywhere from 30 to 50 per cent increase in total payment levels. We think that makes us more competitive probably with the English market but to a lesser extent Japan, Ireland and France. That’s always a moving feast.”

NZR has also announced an increase from $3.7 million to $9.8 million in its fund to reward senior players who remain in Super Rugby to help develop younger players. had a goal and an assist, and Columbus won its seventh straight game by beating Edmonton.

Cam Atkinson and Matt Calvert also scored to help the Blue Jackets (18-5-4) improve to 8-0-1 in their last nine games.

Stars 6, Ducks 2 In Dallas, Dan Hamhuis opened Dallas’ five-goal third period against Anaheim with his first of the season on his 34th birthday.

Hamhuis tipped in Jamie Benn’s cross-ice pass on the power play at 5:41, tying it at 2. Adam Cracknell, Patrick Eaves and Benn then scored to drive Ducks goalie John Gibson from the game at 12:24. Radek Faksa added an empty-netter at 13:57.

Dallas had lost six of eight. Anaheim was 6-1-1 in its previous eight.

Antti Niemi made 34 saves to improve to 6-1-1 at home this season.

Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry scored for the Ducks.

Wild 5, Panthers 1 In St Paul, Minnesota, Devan Dubnyk made 29 saves and Minnesota defeated Florida for its fifth straight victory.

Zach Parise, Erik Haula, Eric Staal, Mikko Koivu and Jason Zucker scored for Minnesota, which has points in 10 of its last 11 games. Zucker added an assist, and Jason Pominville and Jonas Brodin each had two assists for the Wild.

Roberto Luongo’s regrettable history in Minnesota continued as he stopped 12 of 17 shots before being pulled midway through the third period. Luongo is 0-7 and has been pulled in four of his last seven games at the Xcel Energy Center.

Predators 6, Blues 3 In Nashville, Tennessee, Mike Fisher scored twice and Nashville erased a three-goal deficit to beat St. Louis.

James Neal, Filip Forsberg, Ryan Johansen and Mike Ribeiro also scored for the Predators, who snapped a two-game skid.

After trailing 3-0 early in the second period, Nashville scored six straight goals to earn its 10th home victory of the season. Fisher got the go-ahead goal off a pass from Colin Wilson at 9:02 of the third period.

Sharks 3, Maple Leafs 2, SO In Toronto, Logan Couture scored the only goal in a shootout, and San Jose rallied to beat Toronto.

The Sharks trailed 2-0 before Justin Braun and Joe Pavelski scored in a quick burst in the third period. Martin Jones made 29 saves in the opener of a four-game road trip.

Zach Hyman and Auston Matthews scored for the Maple Leafs, who have dropped five of six. Frederik Andersen made 40 stops.

Coyotes 4, Red Wings 1 In Detroit, Jamie McGinn scored twice in Arizona’s victory over Detroit.

Lawson Crouse and defenseman Anthony DeAngelo also scored for Arizona. Peter Holland had two assists in his Coyotes debut, and Mike Smith made 37 saves.

Andreas Athanasiou scored for the Red Wings, and Jimmy Howard stopped 15 shots.