Eddie Hearn says Henry Pollock can help unlock rugby union’s untapped potential, arguing the England and Lions flanker deserves a £1m-a-year contract and and English rugby’s salary cap restricts player earnings and limits the sport’s commercial growth
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Eddie Hearn believes Henry Pollock has the superstar status to awaken the sleeping giant that is rugby union, but insists the England and Lions flanker, and his peers, must be rewarded in line with their commercial value.
Pollock has dominated the headlines after his agent Hearn claimed the 21-year-old was deserving of a £1m-a-year contract amid ongoing negotiations with his club Northampton Saints.
Pollock earns a reported £150,000 a year from his current deal, which expires next summer, plus an additional £150,000 annually from the Rugby Football Union given his status as an enhanced elite England player.
Hearn stressed Pollock had no intention of leaving Northampton but highlighted how his seven-figure earning potential remaining unrealised in English rugby was indicative of the sport not tapping into its true potential and scale.
"Pollock is making the same amount of money as a young man fighting for the British title in boxing that you've never heard of on one night," Hearn told Sky Sports News.
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"This is a guy who plays over 30 games a year, puts his body through hell every week and, by the way, every team he plays against tries to nail him.
"This isn't a guy you've never heard of. This is the absolute flagship superstar of English rugby. He is a red-hot superstar of the sport.
"Young kids are scoring tries and trying to replicate him. They're going into local grassroots rugby clubs hoping to be the next Henry Pollock. Season-ticket holders are buying tickets to watch him.
"Some love him, some hate him. Everybody talks about him. And he's going nowhere. He's 21. He's the future of the sport. He has a fantastic opportunity to change this sport forever in this country and make rugby red hot again.
"Rugby is a great sport. It's full of great people. It's full of history. It's full of legacy. We have to make it aspirational across many different levels. We need to show young people they can chase championships and legacies themselves and that there's a big financial future within the sport."
Saints' ability to meet Hearn's expectations for Pollock's wages may be hindered by the £6.4m salary cap currently in force across PREM Rugby, which restricts each team to one marquee player exempt from the cap.
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