A NZ$1.8M ($1.4M) boost in salaries for the New Zealand All Blacks "will help retain leading players over the next three years," according to Liam Napier of FAIRFAX NZ NEWS. The "early Christmas present" could see the salaries of key players such as All Blacks captain Richie McCaw and playmaker Dan Carter rise to around NZ$650,000 per year -- an increase of around NZ$50,000 "each for the top earners." Once individual endorsements are factored in, New Zealand's premier rugby players "are expected to be nearing the magical" NZ$1M annual earnings mark. As part of the new collective agreement signed off by the New Zealand Rugby Union and Players' Association Wedneday, an additional NZ$23.1M "has been freed up for player wages" through until the end of '15. The NZRU's NZ$3.2M profit -- its first for five years -- "is a major factor in the wage pool" increasing from NZ$98.1M-$121.2M for the next three-year period. Under the agreement, players maintain 36.56% "of the NZRU's revenue." Salaries "will increase further with any sponsorship gains" (FAIRFAX NZ NEWS, 8/22).
