ALL BLACK WORLD Cup winner Ma’a Nonu could become the first rugby player to earn £1m (€1.2m) a year with Bristol’s billionaire owner Steve Lansdown reportedly keen to sign the 34-year-old.
Nonu joined Top 14 side Toulon after the All Blacks defended their Rugby World Cup crown last year but could swap the south of France for the south-west of England if Lansdown has his way.
Bristol secured promotion to the Premiership for this coming campaign with a 60-47 aggregate win over Doncaster last season, and Lansdown is not looking to just survive in England’s top tier.
With former England and Scotland coach Andy Robinson in charge, Lansdown is desperate for the club to become an English and European powerhouse and powerful inside centre Nonu is believed to be his primary target.
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“The market is dictating these glamour signings. I’m sure the first million-pound player isn’t that far away,” Lansdown, who made his fortune in financial services, told the Daily Mail.
If I attract 27,000 to watch my team on a regular basis, I should be able to reinvest in the squad. Of course, we’d like to attract someone like Ma’a Nonu.
“The ambition is to get the best possible players on our pitch. I’d like to develop them ourselves [but] every now and then you supplement them.”
Lansdown envisages that club rugby can become a much more lucrative business if it follows the lead of football, particularly the English Premier League.
“The international game has far greater influence in rugby … football is so far ahead in monetary terms but rugby is creeping that way with the expectations of players and agents,” he added.
“TV money is going up and agents are demanding longer contracts which develops a transfer market.
“When you see Manchester United paying £89m for Paul Pogba, you realise there’s a long way to go, but it could still go that way.”
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Ma'a Nonu could become first £1m-a-year rugby player
ALL BLACK WORLD Cup winner Ma’a Nonu could become the first rugby player to earn £1m (€1.2m) a year with Bristol’s billionaire owner Steve Lansdown reportedly keen to sign the 34-year-old.
Nonu joined Top 14 side Toulon after the All Blacks defended their Rugby World Cup crown last year but could swap the south of France for the south-west of England if Lansdown has his way.
Bristol secured promotion to the Premiership for this coming campaign with a 60-47 aggregate win over Doncaster last season, and Lansdown is not looking to just survive in England’s top tier.
With former England and Scotland coach Andy Robinson in charge, Lansdown is desperate for the club to become an English and European powerhouse and powerful inside centre Nonu is believed to be his primary target.
“The market is dictating these glamour signings. I’m sure the first million-pound player isn’t that far away,” Lansdown, who made his fortune in financial services, told the Daily Mail.
If I attract 27,000 to watch my team on a regular basis, I should be able to reinvest in the squad. Of course, we’d like to attract someone like Ma’a Nonu.
“The ambition is to get the best possible players on our pitch. I’d like to develop them ourselves [but] every now and then you supplement them.”
Lansdown envisages that club rugby can become a much more lucrative business if it follows the lead of football, particularly the English Premier League.
“The international game has far greater influence in rugby … football is so far ahead in monetary terms but rugby is creeping that way with the expectations of players and agents,” he added.
“TV money is going up and agents are demanding longer contracts which develops a transfer market.
“When you see Manchester United paying £89m for Paul Pogba, you realise there’s a long way to go, but it could still go that way.”
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