In a report made public on Friday, the French rugby's financial policeman unveiled the average salaries of Top 14 and Pro D2 players, dated last season. These are slightly increasing over one year.
20,000 euros gross for the Top 14, 5,000 for the Pro D2
"In the 2017-18 season, the average gross annual salary amounted to 235,137 euros (about 19,500 euros monthly) in Top 14, against 227,677 euros (about 19,000) in 2016-17," details the National Rugby League (LNR) based on the DNACG annual report. A slight increase that is also found in Pro D2, the second French division. "In Pro D2, the average gross annual salary was 64,991 euros (about 5,400 euros monthly), against 60,989 euros (5,000 euros monthly) in 2016-17", compares the NRL from the same report.
By comparison, according to a team survey in early February, Ligue 1 footballers earn about 100,000 euros gross per month, even if the stars of the PSG alone seriously increase the average. Only the less fortunate clubs of Ligue 1 offer salaries similar to the average of the Top 14, according to the figures of 2018. But unlike football, the difference in wages between clubs is less pronounced. Last season, the top 14 clubs had an average payroll of 9.5 million euros, for a difference of 1 to 3 (from 4.7 million euros to 13.3) between the most modest clubs and the wealthiest.