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Hearn’s £1m demand
Henry Pollock’s contract talks with Northampton Saints have intensified after his agent Eddie Hearn said the England back-row should be a “seven-figure player” and argued Pollock “drives season ticket sales” and “puts bums on the seats.”
“Northampton have to recognise what they have got”
Hearn’s pitch, as quoted by Wales Online, was that “Northampton have to recognise what they have got,” and he insisted Pollock “cannot stay at this club on the money that he's on.”
Pollock is under contract until the end of next season, and Sky Sports News said his current deal is thought to be around £150,000 per year with his contract expiring in summer 2027.
Sky Sports News also reported that Pollock receives around £150,000 per year from the Rugby Football Union as an enhanced elite player squad member with England, while the Premiership’s £6.4m salary cap and one marquee player rule shape what Northampton can offer.
The Telegraph framed the same £1m-a-year idea as unrealistic within English rugby’s ecosystem, noting that “every Prem Rugby club can nominate one “marquee” player” outside the £6.4m salary cap.
Marquee cap crunch
The Telegraph said the “single biggest barrier” to Hearn’s wish is the presence of England fly-half Fin Smith at Franklin’s Gardens, adding that Smith is Northampton’s current marquee player and “is not going anywhere soon.”
The Telegraph also described why Pollock cannot simply be moved into a marquee slot elsewhere, writing that “he cannot become a marquee player at another Prem Rugby club under rules set to prevent poaching.”
talkSPORT host Jeff Stelling rejected the £1m valuation on talkSPORT Breakfast, replying: "Of course he's not. We're talking rugby union!"
Stelling contrasted Northampton’s scale and media reach by saying, “Northampton, average crowd of 15,000. No big TV coverage as far as they're concerned.”
BBC Sport’s explainer added that the Premiership salary cap is currently £6.4m per club and that a £1m deal would require space in the cap, with the BBC noting that “the only team thought to be in this bracket” was Newcastle in the last published 2024-25 salary cap report.
What happens next
Hearn told The Telegraph Sport that Pollock’s preference is to remain at Northampton, saying he asked Pollock “Do you want to stay at Northampton?” and that Pollock answered “Yes. I love the club, I love the team.”
“Yes. I love the club, I love the team”
Hearn also said the pair are working on a long-term commercial strategy centred around next year’s Rugby World Cup in Australia, and he described Pollock’s goals as “He wants to win the World Cup, he wants to win championships with Northampton.”
BBC Sport warned that even if Northampton tried to make a £1m excluded-player deal work, the marquee/excluded-player rules require a club to nominate the player only after they have “been a player of that club for at least two full salary cap years.”
BBC Sport further explained that the excluded-player system uses “averaging” over three years, and it said that if a player earns £100,000, £150,000 then £200,000 across three years, the average is £150,000.
In the background of those constraints, the BBC quoted Prem Rugby’s position that “The salary cap is designed to prevent clubs from over-spending,” linking the rules to controlling inflationary pressures and ensuring clubs do not overspend.
