NPC 2025
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@SouthernMann said in NPC 2025:
Article in Sunday Star Times about NPC and salary cap. It is looking to cut the salary cap by just under 23%. From $1,100,000 to $850,000. For a 28 man squad it is an average player payment of about 30k. If players aren't holding Super deals, it really puts some financial strain on. Continuing the trend of rugby in NZ to be limited to young guys and those within the All Blacks frame.
It should also spread some talent around the country.
I guess though, a bog-standard, lower-end NPC player, who is not good enough to earn more than $30k, is effectively not good enough to be a full-time professional rugby player. This is no different to anytime.
If anything, I think it would put more of a strain on your mid-tier player, who is not quite a Super Rugby player, but is good enough to go to MLR. Lincoln McClutchie for example, say this cuts his NPC contract by $15k, that might be the difference between him splitting his time, or heading totally offshore for a full-year contract, or needing to look for full-time employment as opposed to playing NPC?
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Tom Savage joining his Moana Pacifika team mate Patrick Pellegrini at North Harbour for 2025 Bunnings NPC season
I believe there are 2 other players from Mp also joining Harbour . -
@SouthernMann said in NPC 2025:
Article in Sunday Star Times about NPC and salary cap. It is looking to cut the salary cap by just under 23%. From $1,100,000 to $850,000. For a 28 man squad it is an average player payment of about 30k. If players aren't holding Super deals, it really puts some financial strain on. Continuing the trend of rugby in NZ to be limited to young guys and those within the All Blacks frame.
It should also spread some talent around the country.
I guess though, a bog-standard, lower-end NPC player, who is not good enough to earn more than $30k, is effectively not good enough to be a full-time professional rugby player. This is no different to anytime.
If anything, I think it would put more of a strain on your mid-tier player, who is not quite a Super Rugby player, but is good enough to go to MLR. Lincoln McClutchie for example, say this cuts his NPC contract by $15k, that might be the difference between him splitting his time, or heading totally offshore for a full-year contract, or needing to look for full-time employment as opposed to playing NPC?
It is a flow on effect. We need to consider what the profile of a bog-standard NPC player is. Who can afford to take four months off work for a 25k contract. The answer is you need to have a very sympathetic employer, or be a student. What it means is essentially, the ability to be an aspiring rugby player over about the age of 22 is increasingly difficult. That once the dream of becoming a professional Super contract is out of reach. Financial survivability needs to be prioritised.
This reaffirms the pathways programme. NZ Schools, National Development Contract, NZ U20s, scholarships through Super. Then Super. There are very few doors that open or pathways for the late developer.
It also pushes the standby players for Super Rugby younger and younger. It also impacts the playing pool for club rugby as well. Lose all your non-super guys to MLR and potentially other comps.
It is a halfway house kind of salary cap. What it says is that players are expected to be able to give a fulltime commitment with a very small salary. Which begs the question, what is the future of the tournament? We have seen unions fight for the tournament staying professional. It is such a weird mix of a development, semi-professional and professional for the Super guys.
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@SouthernMann It will stay I believe ,NZR are aware (at last) how important it is, for development pathway, and perhaps trying to make it affordable.
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@SouthernMann It will stay I believe ,NZR are aware (at last) how important it is, for development pathway, and perhaps trying to make it affordable.
NZR does not see it as a development pathway. It was backed into a corner by provincial unions. Development pathways are, as mentioned from NZ Schools through to Super.
It will stay. It is just reducing the funding means it is slowly getting squeezed from the top down. It is very difficult for adult men, closer to 30 than 20 to organise their lives to spend four months of the year living on 25k.
It is one of the few jobs in NZ where the pay rates is going down.
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@SouthernMann said in NPC 2025:
@SouthernMann It will stay I believe ,NZR are aware (at last) how important it is, for development pathway, and perhaps trying to make it affordable.
NZR does not see it as a development pathway. It was backed into a corner by provincial unions. Development pathways are, as mentioned from NZ Schools through to Super.
It will stay. It is just reducing the funding means it is slowly getting squeezed from the top down. It is very difficult for adult men, closer to 30 than 20 to organise their lives to spend four months of the year living on 25k.
It is one of the few jobs in NZ where the pay rates is going down.
Yes it’s clearly getting downgraded. Lower pay and next year less tv coverage. Each year fans of NPC rugby die and they are not replaced at the same rate.
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@SouthernMann said in NPC 2025:
The answer is you need to have a very sympathetic employer, or be a student
Gone are the days when an employer was.proud to have an NPC player on thier staff, while giving them time off when needed for rugby.
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Caleb Makene also playing Club Rugby for New Brighton in Christchurch. looks as if Canterbury are trying to bring in a few mid 20's aged guys to provide depth for them.
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@SouthernMann said in NPC 2025:
NZR does not see it as a development pathway.
Financials aside, the new board seems more sympathetic to the role the NPC plays. If NZR wants to get serious with player development pathways they would still need to inject a lot of money into the SR teams to provide a structured season of games (Dev, U20), not just a few games you can count on one hand for those teams. Essentially the NRL model. That's the job the PUs are currently doing for them for most of the rugby season.
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@SouthernMann said in NPC 2025:
It is one of the few jobs in NZ where the pay rates is going down.
It's worth noting that coverage I've seen about the cap possibly dropping hasn't taken inflation into account
Was the cap 1.1 million in 2020? I'll assume it was.. that would be the equivalent off ~1.35 million now. A drop down to 850k is a significant downgrade
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In the last collective agreement the salary cap was $1.1M per year for the term 2022-24. You can usually find those documents on the NZRPA website or google. Before that it was:
For Contract Year 2019 - $1,186,290
For Contract Year 2020 -$1,245,605
2021 ?The new document:
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Thanks. So a move to 850k would be an enormous cut in real terms in just a few years
That changes players incentives significantly. Rugby or another sport? Play overseas? Why continue playing as a young adult if you miss out on age grade sides?
If the cap drops and the rumour posted earlier about Sky only wanting to show 2 out of 7 games per week from 2026 it'll be hard for anyone to claim this isn't a death spiral
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@Fredsaua12 said in NPC 2025:
Caleb Makene also playing Club Rugby for New Brighton in Christchurch. looks as if Canterbury are trying to bring in a few mid 20's aged guys to provide depth for them.
Or as I have been saying around how it is difficult for older guys to support themselves. Makene is an example, where he has gone back to where he studied, and potentially has connections for employment opportunities. Just a stab in the dark around that.
I think @Bovidae has hit the nail on the head around NPC's role. Due to the failure of SANZAR/NZR to invest properly into proper development or even B comps for Super. It becomes a defacto second tier comp. Not because it was designed to to do it, but because it is the gap it can fill.
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@Fredsaua12 I think he even got a game or two for Crusaders development earlier in the season
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The reason NPC is so important is still development, and have heard NZR say as such. A development comp in super doesn't fill that need , neither do academies etc. Too learn rugby young players have to be playing with and against older heads etc. I agree it's a problem, I know a few in Naki team have played NPC and MLR etc to make ends meet. Others have jpbs (Mike Bent is a farmer etc), The preoblem reamains the the likes of mainly the super franchise bases are in cities etc and generally got more access to sponsorship etc. There are unions like the Naki etc that still make money and have fairly robust systems in place, and others like Manawatu, Southland etc are always going to sruggle. I have no idea what answer is, and doubt whether any of us do, if it doesnt involve dropping a couple of teams.
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@SouthernMann Caleb is back in Christchurch, starting a family. He won't be playing for the Magpies, but hasn't ruled out playing for Canterbury .
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Going before the NPC.
Taranaki Rugby farewell Ricky Riccitelli 💛🖤
Ricky was contracted for the 2025 Bunnings NPC season; however, we have granted him an early release to take up a contract in France.
With 81 games in the Amber and Black jersey, he leaves behind a lasting legacy and memories that will last a lifetime for Yarrows Taranaki Bulls fans.
Thank you, Ricky. One of the proudest to wear the jersey
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