Tonga are picking up only £500 a week RFU is making six-figure donation to Tongan unionEngland players have struck a new pay deal with the Rugby
Football Union that will see Eddie Jones’s squad earn around £70,000 each if they win all three of their autumn internationals. Victory over Tonga this weekend will give the players at least £23,000 in match fees while, in contrast, the Pacific Islanders earn just £500 a week.
![England players to bank £70,000 each for winning all three autumn Tests](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/5f8e6578d592d69d5ff88a6bbd3c1c3b048562de/158_332_3959_2376/master/3959.jpg?width=1200&height=630&quality=85&auto=format&fit=crop&overlay-align=bottom%2Cleft&overlay-width=100p&overlay-base64=L2ltZy9zdGF0aWMvb3ZlcmxheXMvdGctZGVmYXVsdC5wbmc&enable=upscale&s=31e309a493e583eb250db09f05696ac3)
Last September the
England players agreed a 25% pay cut for one season due to the financial impact of the pandemic on the union but a new more performance-related agreement has been reached. The minimum the players will make is less than the pre-pandemic match fee of around £23,000 but victory in matches against Tonga, Australia and
South Africa would activate a bonus clause, meaning the squad collecting a similar amount. In addition, the players may earn even more if the RFU’s commercial performance exceeds forecasts.