Editorial Position
Methodology
How we estimate cap bands, tier players, and source every line.
In New Zealand, teams and the governing body don't publish player contract details. Every figure on this site is an editorial estimate, drawn from press releases, signed announcements, and recognised media reporting.
For each contract we record the team, term, contract type, and a three-point cap band (low, midpoint, high) drawn from a tier model. Each contract carries a confidence flag.
- Confirmedan official source has published the deal or its key terms.
- Estimatedan announcement places the player in a tier without disclosing terms; the band reflects the tier.
- Inferredterms pieced together from local press, recognised commentary, or publicly available squad listings.
Source URLs are recorded against every contract. We cite sources. When we get something wrong, we update it and note the change. Players, agents, and teams can submit corrections via the tip form.
Tier bands
Bands are NZD per year. Drawn from public reporting, market commentary, and anonymised industry intel. Recalibrated as new information arrives.
Men's tiers are calibrated against the 2020 NZRPA Collective Agreement, NZ Herald and Stuff reporting on player earnings, the NPC Salary Cap of approximately $1.1m / $840k per Provincial Union, and Super Rugby Club annual reports. Hard CBA anchors are held at their published values: Super Rugby Component min $75k (cl 56.5), max $195k (cl 56.3); NZ Rugby Draft Contract min $50k (cl 60.6); Provincial Union Retainer min $21k (cl 70.5); All Blacks Selection Fee $7,500/week (p68). Women's tiers are calibrated against published Black Ferns and Aupiki contracting commentary.
Sources: 2020 NZRPA Collective Agreement (PDF); NZ Herald, Stuff, RNZ, and RugbyPass reporting; SRC and Provincial Union annual reports; anonymised industry commentary.
| Tier | Type | Low | Mid | High |
|---|---|---|---|---|
All Black Top Established All Black on NZR central deal. Super Rugby Component capped at $195k (CBA cl 56.3); NZRU Component (uncapped) plus All Blacks Selection Fees of $7,500/week of assembly stack on top. Calibrated against 2020 NZRPA Collective Agreement, NZ Herald and Stuff reporting on player earnings, and SRC annual reports. | central | $450,000 | $600,000 | $770,000 |
All Black Squad Squad or recently capped All Black. Super Rugby Component up to $195k (CBA cl 56.3); NZRU Component depends on AB usage; partial-year Selection Fees apply. Calibrated against 2020 CBA, public reporting, and SRC annual reports. | central | $310,000 | $400,000 | $510,000 |
Super Squad Super Rugby Component sits between CBA min $75k (cl 56.5) and max $195k (cl 56.3). Longevity payments push the top end at $195k for established players. Mid recalibrated against SRC annual reports and 2020 CBA. | super | $75,000 | $105,000 | $195,000 |
Super Development NZ Rugby Draft Contract for development players. CBA min $50k (cl 60.6); ceiling meets super_squad floor at $75k (cl 56.5). Often dual-contracted with a Provincial Union for NPC. | super | $30,000 | $50,000 | $75,000 |
Wider Training Group Super Rugby Wider Training Group. 12 players per franchise (9 at Highlanders) on training/development terms. Replaces the publicly listed NDC tier from 2026 onwards. Editorial estimate calibrated against 2020 CBA development pathway and superrugby.co.nz media release. | super | $30,000 | $45,000 | $65,000 |
National Development NZR-funded National Development Contract. CBA min $50k (cl 60.6). From 2026 the public dev cohort moved to WTG; NDC remains for individual transitions. Recalibrated against 2020 CBA. | ndc | $50,000 | $68,000 | $85,000 |
NPC Starter Regular NPC starter. CBA min $21k (cl 70.5). Year 4 service adds $5k incentive, Year 5+ adds $7.5k (cl 90). Calibrated against NPC Salary Cap of approx $1.1m / $840k per Provincial Union, NZ Herald and Stuff reporting. | npc | $21,000 | $32,000 | $48,000 |
NPC Squad Provincial Union Development Contract or sub-floor NPC squad rotation player. Below the $21k Provincial Union Contract minimum (CBA cl 70.5); treated as semi-pro. Calibrated against public reporting on NPC sub-floor compensation. | npc | $15,000 | $20,000 | $28,000 |
Aupiki Top Earner Top-tier Aupiki contract for a player WITHOUT a Black Ferns central deal. Hub player with full season participation plus camps and match fees. Calibrated against RNZ and Stuff reporting on Aupiki hub contracts. | aupiki | $22,000 | $35,000 | $55,000 |
Aupiki Squad Standard Aupiki squad player on campaign-only or partial-season terms. Camps plus the five-week Aupiki competition. Calibrated against RNZ and Stuff reporting. | aupiki | $12,000 | $18,000 | $28,000 |
Black Fern Central Black Ferns NZR central deal. Range covers newly-contracted Black Fern at the floor (~$55k) through senior veteran with Test fees and WXV bonuses (~$150k). Pool sized to the 2023 NZR-NZRPA settlement of approximately $2.6m for the contracted Black Ferns squad. Calibrated against NZ Herald, Stuff and RNZ reporting. | central | $55,000 | $80,000 | $150,000 |
Annual reports as a calibration check
Provincial Unions and Super Rugby Clubs publish annual reports. Player wages are a line item, citable and on the record. Summed against the NPC Salary Cap of approximately $1.1m per Provincial Union, those reports are our cleanest reality check. When we sum editorial tier estimates across a squad, the result should land within the cash variance you'd expect from the published number.
That gap — the cash variance — comes from things the cap doesn't cleanly capture: relocation reimbursement, accommodation supplied by the union, sponsor packages tied to the player rather than the team, partial-year contracts, dual-contracted players paid by both their Super franchise and their union, and centrally-paid All Blacks whose union wage is excluded from team totals here per the national-team-duty rule. Variance shrinks as more contracts are sourced; it never disappears, because no public document captures every line of player compensation.
Free Agent Score
The Free Agent Score is the editorial composite that ranks the Free Agents board. It rates the heat of an expiring contract on a 0 to 100 scale, leaning on signal we can verify rather than figures we can't. Men's and women's rugby are scored on separate scales so the markets don't freely mix. Within each market, end year is the primary sort key — the 2026 class lists first, the 2027 class second, and so on. Score breaks ties within each year.
| Factor | Weight | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Estimated salary | 30% | Tier mid-band, log-normalised against a gender-specific ceiling. Men: $15k floors at 0, $900k caps at 1. Women: $10k floors at 0, $200k caps at 1. A top Black Fern free agent rates against the Black Fern market, not the All Black market. |
| All Black pedigree | 25% | Current AB Top 1.0, AB Squad 0.85, NZR Central / BF Central 0.7. Lapsed All Blacks no longer on a central deal still get ex-AB credit, scaled 0.4 (one Test cap) to 0.7 (25+ caps). Never-AB players score 0. |
| Super proof | 15% | Career Super Rugby caps for NZ franchises (Blues, Hurricanes, Crusaders, Highlanders, Chiefs, Moana Pasifika). Log-normalised: 1 cap ≈ 0.17, 5 ≈ 0.44, 15 ≈ 0.68, 60+ caps ≈ 1.0. Separates proven Super performers from never-played-a-Super-game names. |
| Age curve | 12% | Peak 26 to 29, ramps up from 21, declines past 32. Unknown DOB gets a neutral 0.6. |
| Position scarcity | 8% | Premium spine (10, 9, 7, 12, 15) weighted highest. Standard positions 0.7, utility 0.5. |
| Source confidence | 10% | Confirmed 1.0, Estimated 0.85, Inferred 0.7. Dampens speculative tier estimates so they don't overpower verified deals. |
Players with a confirmed overseas departure on file are removed from the board. They're not free agents, they're leaving. The score is editorial, not an offer or a contract value, and we recalibrate weights as the market gives us better signal. Send corrections via the tip form.
Where the data comes from
- Team and union press releases
- Player and agent social announcements
- Recognised national and local news outlets
- Published Super Rugby and NPC squad listings
- The 2020 NZRPA / NZR Collective Bargaining Agreement, the public anchor for tier bands
- Industry commentary, attributed where possible
Corrections and takedowns
If a figure or a fact on this site is wrong, tell us and we'll update it. If a player or representative wants a profile reviewed or removed, we'll respond within 48 hours. Email or use the tip form.
Got better intel? Send us a tip