Coronavirus: NZR agrees 50 per cent pay freeze with players for rest of 2020

New Zealand Rugby (NZR) has reached an agreement to freeze about 50 per cent of remaining forecasted player spend for 2020.

The coronavirus pandemic has brought sport to a standstill around the world, with Super Rugby among the competitions impacted.

NZR and the New Zealand Rugby Players’ Association (NZRPA) reached an agreement over player payments, including impacting Super Rugby and All Blacks players, on Thursday.

“The players are committed to playing their part in ensuring the long-term future of the sport and to ensure the game best manages the financial implications of COVID-19,” NZRPA chief executive Rob Nichol said in a statement.

“In contemplating a scenario based on no professional rugby in 2020, NZR and the NZRPA together recognised the need to act now to prepare the game and the players for this, even if there is every intention of doing all we can to avoid it.

NEWS | @NZRugby and @nzrpa announce a range of player payment changes in response to the Covid-19 Pandemic.

READ https://t.co/Z1vWCF6T3k pic.twitter.com/b8WvWbI2I1

— All Blacks (@AllBlacks) April 16, 2020

“As a result, we have agreed to immediately freeze approximately $25million, or 50 per cent, of the remaining forecasted player spend in 2020.

“In the event that this financial scenario eventuates, the frozen payments and benefits would become waived permanently. Alternatively, if professional rugby can resume and the financial outlook improves, then some of the frozen payments and benefits could be reinstated.”

Among the other key changes, promotional payments and the majority of player performance incentives have been frozen.

From May 1, 15 per cent of the players’ 2020 base retainers for those paid more than 50,000 New Zealand dollars per year will be frozen, with that raising to 30 per cent in September.

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