The value of positions

[wasps]

This link has been posted a few times. It shows the average salary for rugby positions in the premiership and the Pro12 for the 2016/2017 season
https://www.ruck.co.uk/rugby-unions-average-salaries-position/



I'm sure it's not 100% scientific as salary information is usually quite confidential, but it must have some basis in truth.

The things that jump out at me are how highly the Pro12 values blind side flankers compared to open side flankers.
That's a bit of a surprise considering we look to the Welsh as having a lot of quality 7's.
The bigger surprise though is how a blind side is valued in the premiership - it's supposedly the lowest paid position

Conversely, an Inside Centre is the 2nd highest paid position in the premiership, and the 2nd lowest in the Pro12.
This is a huge surprise to me given how much England have struggled to find a decent 12 over the years. However, maybe that's the reason that expensive overseas 12's are brought in.
Whereas the Pro12 teams seem to be able to bring their own top quality 12's through.

I always thought historically that tight-head prop was one of the most expensive positions on the team.
If this chart is at all accurate, the Pro12 obviously doesn't value them at all, and while they're still valued in the premiership, they're paid less than the locks and all those glamorous positions in the backs (10, 12 and 15), and probably on a par with the wingers.



Is the difference in value of some positions due to a difference in the way the teams play, or more to do with the supply of those players that come through academies?

[Raggs]

I'm surprised 9s are so low in the prem. The 9 is almost as important as the 10 for decision making, and certainly for driving the game.

[InBetweenWasp]

The relative diminishing of value for props is interesting - although probably reflective that the game has moved on from dominant set-pieces being key and more of a focus on breaking the gainline hence 4/5 and 12’s being of such high value.

Or could just be skewed by the number of quality locks in the prem commanding significant salaries because of their all-round capabilities (Horwill, Launch, Itoje, Kruis, Attwood, Slater etc etc... all commanding significant salaries you’d expect)