Irish Central Contracts

Didn't want to drag the Welsh thread off topic.

Sin é wrote:

(IRFU give out very few central contracts anymore. At the moment - BOD, Heaslip, Kearney, Ross, Healy for Leinster. POC, POM, Murray, Ryan & Earls for Munster. Best, Bowe & Trimble for Ulster).

There are a few more than that but they all expire this season.

There are only 3 players from each of the 3 main provinces on central contracts past the end of the season.

Mike Ross........2015
Peter O'Mahony........2015
Andrew Trimble........2015
Tommy Bowe........2015
Rob Kearney........2015

Cian Healy........2016
Rory Best........2016
Conor Murray........2016

Donncha Ryan........2017


I'm sure the IRFU want to add Heaslip, Poc and Earls to that list. SOB is not on a central contract.

Perhaps they will add one or 2 from up north? Not sure when the like of Henderson, Jackson, or L Marshall's contracts end.

Of course if Ferris ever gets back fit he might get one too. Was on one up to this season.

Did SOB turn it down?

Who are the front runners to get one in the future? Hendshaw maybe?

Interesting that for such a key position we went from having two centrally contracted OHs to none which is actually saving the IRFU €750k per annum.

Henshaw has already signed a new deal. I would expect Jackson or madigan to get one depending on who is preferred. At this point Jackson most likely. Maybe ferris is fit and possibly Luke Marshall but beyond that I can't see it

The guys I would give a central contract to, who dont have ones for next year, are

SOB, Heaslip, Jackson, Marshall

I would not renew Trimble, Bowe, Ross in 2015, possibly Kearney as well

Possibly add Henderson and Payne then

Standulstermen wrote:Henshaw has already signed a new deal. I would expect Jackson or madigan to get one depending on who is preferred. At this point Jackson most likely. Maybe ferris is fit and possibly Luke Marshall but beyond that I can't see it

With wingers I just wouldn't bother - Zebo, Bowe, Fitzgerald, Gilroy, Earls, Trimble, McFadden - no one player is key

So how many do you have in total? I read on a Munster forum that it used to be around 30 but that reduced to around 22 in 2012. Has it reduced even more?

Jenifer McLadyboy wrote:Didn't want to drag the Welsh thread off topic.

Sin é wrote:

(IRFU give out very few central contracts anymore. At the moment - BOD, Heaslip, Kearney, Ross, Healy for Leinster. POC, POM, Murray, Ryan & Earls for Munster. Best, Bowe & Trimble for Ulster).

There are a few more than that but they all expire this season.

There are only 3 players from each of the 3 main provinces on central contracts past the end of the season.

Mike Ross........2015
Peter O'Mahony........2015
Andrew Trimble........2015
Tommy Bowe........2015
Rob Kearney........2015

Cian Healy........2016
Rory Best........2016
Conor Murray........2016

Donncha Ryan........2017


I'm sure the IRFU want to add Heaslip, Poc and Earls to that list. SOB is not on a central contract.

Perhaps they will add one or 2 from up north? Not sure when the like of Henderson, Jackson, or L Marshall's contracts end.

Of course if Ferris ever gets back fit he might get one too. Was on one up to this season.

Could you please either name or say how many are actually on CC now. Thanks

geoff998rugby wrote:The guys I would give a central contract to, who dont have ones for next year, are

SOB, Heaslip, Jackson, Marshall

I would not renew Trimble, Bowe, Ross in 2015, possibly Kearney as well

Possibly add Henderson and Payne then  

Sounds about right bar Payne.

I thought the rumour was they were reducing it to 20. That said every contract is funded by the IRFU essentially

When you seen him shine at both 13 and 15 next year you'll change your mind Guns   

wayne wrote:
Could you please either name or say how many are actually on CC now. Thanks

I make it 16 total

These ones finish this year.

Doc has already signed a 2 year with Munster. Court has signed a 3 year with London Irish. Bod is retiring and D'arcy will probably sign a Leinster contract to take him to the World Cup.

So that leaves 3 possible re signers below.

DOC........2014
POC........2014
Jamie Heaslip........2014
Keith Earls........2014
Gordon D'Arcy........2014
Bod........2014
Tom Court........2014

geoff998rugby wrote:The guys I would give a central contract to, who dont have ones for next year, are

SOB, Heaslip, Jackson, Marshall

I would not renew Trimble, Bowe, Ross in 2015, possibly Kearney as well

Possibly add Henderson and Payne then  

So you would not renew Poc or Earls? Poc is Ireland captain.

Ross will be 104 years old in 2015 and Trimble is looking unlikely to be doing much for Ireland. Bowe and Kearney are young enough and fixtures in the 1st 15 though.

It's a strange one. Trimble got a CC at a time when Gilroy was ahead of him for Ulster but I suspect it's about managing the weave demands of certain players and where they are in their respective careers.

Given we don't have a 10 on one I think there will definitely be be dished out there

Heaslip is reputed to be the highest paid Irish player on 400 grand (real money not sterling)

Unlikely to get as much if he goes again.

Jenifer McLadyboy wrote:

wayne wrote:
Could you please either name or say how many are actually on CC now. Thanks

I make it 16 total

These ones finish this year.

Doc has already signed a 2 year with Munster. Court has signed a 3 year with London Irish. Bod is retiring and D'arcy will probably sign a Leinster contract to take him to the World Cup.

So that leaves 3 possible re signers below.

DOC........2014
POC........2014
Jamie Heaslip........2014
Keith Earls........2014
Gordon D'Arcy........2014
Bod........2014
Tom Court........2014

Thanks again Jen, very illuminating for a Welsh perspective, if that sort of money was taken out of the Regions budget, and still get more money than the Regions receive THROUGH NOT FROM the WRU, the Regions would be more than happy with such a Budget.
Jen this is NOT a dig at you THANKS AGAIN.

It's not so much the wages but the commercial opportunities that being a top Irish player affords you. Speaking to reps in my job they were saying that Ferris when he was one of the Guinness reps was paid A serious amount of money.

It's a bit of a red herring because all contracts are with the IRFU. The only difference is that the provinces pay the IRFU for the value of the guys who aren't on the central contract list, whereas the likes of Heaslip are paid directly from the central pot.

So Madigan  and Heaslip are both centrally contracted to the IRFU, but Madigans wage comes out of Leinsters budget whereas Heaslips wage comes directly out of the IRFUs pocket.

wayne wrote:

Jenifer McLadyboy wrote:

wayne wrote:
Could you please either name or say how many are actually on CC now. Thanks

I make it 16 total

These ones finish this year.

Doc has already signed a 2 year with Munster. Court has signed a 3 year with London Irish. Bod is retiring and D'arcy will probably sign a Leinster contract to take him to the World Cup.

So that leaves 3 possible re signers below.

DOC........2014
POC........2014
Jamie Heaslip........2014
Keith Earls........2014
Gordon D'Arcy........2014
Bod........2014
Tom Court........2014

Thanks again Jen, very illuminating for a Welsh perspective, if that sort of money was taken out of the Regions budget, and still get more money than the Regions receive THROUGH NOT FROM the WRU, the Regions would be more than happy with such a Budget.
Jen  this is NOT a dig at you THANKS AGAIN.

Shane Logan a year or so back said the 3 senior Provinces, inclusive of Central Contracts, have a similar salary level to Ospreys and the top Englidh teams.

I don't think they should do it by position any more, but simply by who the highest earners are and who spends the most time on international duty/being rested for international duty.

Jenifer McLadyboy wrote:

geoff998rugby wrote:The guys I would give a central contract to, who dont have ones for next year, are

SOB, Heaslip, Jackson, Marshall

I would not renew Trimble, Bowe, Ross in 2015, possibly Kearney as well

Possibly add Henderson and Payne then  

So you would not renew Poc or Earls? Poc is Ireland captain.

Ross will be 104 years old in 2015 and Trimble is looking unlikely to be doing much for Ireland. Bowe and Kearney are young enough and fixtures in the 1st 15 though.

I think we got to decide what Central Contract are for.
I suggest keeping the best energing talent in Ireland (Jackson, Marshall)and retaining those players we cannot do with out who could leave (Healy, SOB, Heaslip)

POC has been superb but to put it bluntly he is going nowhere after this summer (for the same reason I would not renew Best in 2016 - I do agree with him being renewed in 2014)
Earls as I have said is just one of many for the wings spots

Ditto Bowe
Kearney as I mention is one I am wavering on. In truth a lot would depend on how Payne goes.
In summer 2015 we would have a clearer idea on who is top dog for the 15 shirt.

Notch wrote:It's a bit of a red herring because all contracts are with the IRFU. The only difference is that the provinces pay the IRFU for the value of the guys who aren't on the central contract list, whereas the likes of Heaslip are paid directly from the central pot.

So Madigan  and Heaslip are both centrally contracted to the IRFU, but Madigans wage comes out of Leinsters budget whereas Heaslips wage comes directly out of the IRFUs pocket.

Yes they are. Even the NIQ players like say Kirchner, Pienaar or Laulala are contracted to the IRFU. Makes it all very integrated and pyramidic (is that a word?) in structure, which is a good thing IMHO.

PRL bods may not agree.

I get that they're all contracted to the IRFU in some way. But if the provinces get 5m euros from the union but do not have to pay for their most expensive players out of that, whereas the welsh do have to pay for ALL players with £4m then I can see where there may be a shortfall.

Sorry, didn't mean to discuss the welsh on here but it's sort of linked to that thread too.

Presumably the WRU have to pay match fees to those who play international games. The IRFU don't have to pay match fees to their centrally contracted players. The IRFU would also have the image rights of those centrally contracted.

I believe D'Arcy was put back on a central contract becuase his match fees were costing too much when he was on a provincial contract.

geoff998rugby wrote:When you seen him shine at both 13 and 15 next year you'll change your mind Guns   

He's so good I'd give him 2 contracts!

rodders wrote:

geoff998rugby wrote:When you seen him shine at both 13 and 15 next year you'll change your mind Guns   

He's so good I'd give him 2 contracts!

Yeah but thats the point, you need to have played for Ireland already and prooved your worth in the Ireland team to be offered a central contract. If he does that then good luck to him.