French Top 14 Suffers Record Deficit

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France’s Top 14, the world’s richest rugby union league, suffered a record deficit of €24.2 million last season as player salaries increased, according to the annual report from the Ligue Nationale de Rugby (LNR).

Agence France-Presse’s report on the deficit says that the Top 14 accounted for the bulk of the €33.8 million loss for all 20 professional clubs in France as the league becomes an increasing magnet for foreign stars.

“Clubs prefer to strengthen their sporting power… to the detriment of reducing their deficits,” said a report by the National Rugby League’s audit department.

The report shows that average player salaries have increased 12 percent in the past season, with New Zealand international Colin Slade the latest foreign star to have signed for a French club. According to media in New Zealand, he will earn €660,000 a season at newly-promoted Pau.

Slade is just one of a host of All Blacks moving to France on expensive contracts after the Rugby World Cup, including Dan Carter, Ma’a Nonu and Conrad Smith. The report shows that salaries have “taken off” while revenues grew only 10 percent, mainly through extra television income.

Only one Top 14 club is able to fully self-finance its operation, compared to seven at the end of 2013-14. Three clubs have are “heavily in deficit”.

The league report did not name the clubs but the Midi Olympique rugby newspaper said they are Racing Metro, Stade Francais and Castres, where the owners pay for annual losses.

The report named Brive and European champions Toulon as the only French clubs that do not have a deficit. Toulouse (€34.7 million) and Toulon (€30 million) were named as the French clubs with the biggest budgets.

Irish Star’s Father Plays Big Role In Son’s Career

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Connacht and Ireland star Robbie Henshaw has hit the headlines over the last month after a series of excellent performances during Ireland‘s Six Nations campaign but one of the men partly responsible for his rise is both his agent and his father.

Henshaw is represented by his father Tony and the father/son-agent/player relationship is nothing new in Irish rugby with Brian O’Driscoll, Leo Cullen, Dave Kearney and Ian Madigan just a handful of players to have had their interests minded by their fathers.

Henshaw’s star has risen this season after he, along with Ulster’s Jared Payne, took on the difficult challenge of trying to fill Brian O’Driscoll’s boots in the centres and it has led to speculation about his future.

But dad Tony has suggested that both player and agent are in no rush, saying: “It depends what he wants to do himself. We will wait a while, certainly until after the World Cup.”

Tony is an engineer by profession and has countered his potential limitations at the negotiating table.

He added: “I had been using a very good friend of mine and Robbie’s, Michael Cosgrave.”

Cosgrave, a former director with Aviva, along with a family solicitor in Athlone, ensured all parties were satisfied the last time a deal was signed.

“Cosi would be well suited to that sort of stuff, having been part of negotiation teams for many years. Together we did that last deal in Connacht with Pat Lam. It was good for everyone, both Connacht and Robbie got a decent deal out of it at the time.”

Henshaw junior’s commercial deals are also handled within the family, with Tony adding: “I don’t want Robbie to be the fella that every time you lift a stone he jumps out from under it. We have a couple of things going on with 3 and Adidas.”

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Esportif Completes Big Red Management Merger

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Esportif International has completed a merger with Big Red Management to form a global rugby agency which represents more current Six Nations players than any other.

Big Red Management were shortlisted for a BT Sport Industry Award for their management of England international Danny Care and the merger will see Mark Spoors, the managing director of Big Red, become a director at Esportif in the UK.

Spoors commented: “In the 13 years that I have been working in rugby, it has never moved as quickly or been as exciting globally as it is today.

“I am very proud of where Big Red stand in the British rugby agency marketplace which has come about through hard work, having a great team and always going beyond the norm to exceed our clients’ expectations.

“This is the right time to be thinking on a global basis, the combination of Esportif’s global footprint along with our commercial, media and off field offering, moves us closer to achieving our goal to being the number one rugby management agency in the world.”

Esportif chairman Peter Kenyon said: “Since the formation of Esportif International the goal has always been to be the number one rugby management business in the world and today’s announcement moves us closer to achieving our goal.

“Esportif is recognised for its management of world-class players and is the global leader in the management of rugby coaches. Big Red’s excellent reputation and presence in the UK compliments Esportif’s position in Europe and supports our already strong market presence in the Southern Hemisphere and Japan.

“The new group which is widely recognised for its unparalleled knowledge of rugby intelligence globally, is well positioned to capture the opportunities emanating from the rapid growth of rugby, including the upcoming Rugby World Cups in England and Japan.”

Among Esportif’s new team of clients is a raft of current home nations internationals as well as southern hemisphere players such as Jerome Kaino, Aaron Cruden and Matt Giteau.