Total contracted positions(average wage/player):
NRL: 400($220'000)
Super Rugby: 160($156'000)
Toyota Cup: 320($12'500)
In summary, the NRL has 240 more positions for contracted players then Super Rugby as well as a further 320 in the Toyota Cup. So the overall figure is 720 positions in rugby league and 160 in rugby union.
160 Super Rugby players in Aust. To keep things simple, there are about 10 marquee players who are not eligible for the Wobs. Again, keeping it simple, there are about 50 current or past Wobs floating around in Super Rugby. That makes a chance of about 1:3 of making the national side if you score a gig as a professional Rugby player in Australia. Once you achieve International Status in Rugby, the pay packet overseas rockets, as does the opportunities to continue to ply your trade.
There are about 100 kiwis playing NRL who are ineligible for the Kangaroos which would take the number above down to 300 Aussie NRL players. Of those 300, there are probably 40 current or past Kangaroos playing. This seems to be a 1:7 chance of making the national side if you are a professional Greco-Roman Rugby player. Achieving international status in Fivekick, can help the domestic bank balance, but what opportunities overseas does it open? What other opportunities associated with the sport are there overseas, as an administrator, or coach?
I think it was Brandy Alexander who opined that RL is great at developing juniors and crap internationally, whereas RU was crap at developing juniors and great internationally, or words to the same general effect.
How many registered male players are there in RL in NZ and Aust competing for the 400 professional positions?
Wiki says in 2008 there were about 425000 Australians participated in RL with 121000 registered juniors, 270000 Schoolboy players, and 52000 seniors. Source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rugby_league_in_Australia
52000 seniors competing for 400 jobs (0.7% chance of a pro contract). 391000 juniors competing for 400 jobs = 0.1% chance of landing a pro contract in NRL.
391000 juniors competing for a U20 contract at $12k = 0.08% chance of securing a U20 contract post school.
How many registered male players are there in RU in NZ and Aust competing for the 150 professional positions?
The ARU and IRB figures are well known to be rubbery.
http://www.greenandgoldrugby.com/wh...keptical-about-the-aru-participation-numbers/ Analysis on the blog suggests that there were about 82000 RU players (male schools, juniors, and seniors - excluding Golden oldies) in 2012. There is no reliable breakdown of Seniors vs juniors/schoolboys, so using the RL ratios, the 82000 would be 10000 seniors, 22000 juniors and 50000 schoolboys.
10000 seniors competing for 150 jobs (1.5% chance of a pro contract). 72000 juniors competing for 150 jobs = 0.2% chance of landing a pro contract in Super Rugby.
72000 juniors competing for 0 Under 20 contracts = 0% chance of securing an U20 RU contract.
Whatever the code, the best advice to aspiring professional players is to get a trade or profession as a backup, because the chances are very slim of making it as a pro in your chosen code. The numbers are better for the RU players, but the average remuneration is less and there is no $250 per week contracts for the RU under 20's.
