The £20m men! England rugby stars set for huge jackpot if they conquer the world
England's quest to conquer Europe and the world in the next three seasons is being financed by a huge kitty from the RFU worth more than £20million.As Stuart Lancaster’s team prepare to face world champions New Zealand at Twickenham on Saturday, Sportsmail can reveal the full extent of the incentives they are playing for.
The crusade to emulate their predecessors from 2003 by claiming Six Nations Grand Slam and World Cup glory is being backed by an unprecedented investment by the union.
Autumn tests: Stuart Lancaster's side will be due a massive bonus if they beat New Zealand
In fact, the final sum could stretch to more than that, as reinforcements added to the squad are paid pro rata, on top of the budget.
In addition to the national pride at stake against the All Blacks, England’s players can unlock a squad bonus worth £250,000 if they beat New Zealand, as they did a year ago. That would be their collective reward for ending a three-match autumn series with three victories.
For those players who have played in all three matches, winning would guarantee them £31,983 each based on appearance fees of £7,038 per game and their share of the prize fund. The image-rights payments from a pot for the season worth £1,876,800 would ensure they earn more than double that amount.
When it comes to the Six Nations, there is a major reward for a Grand Slam, with a squad bonus of £600,000 set aside. Should England win the title without a clean sweep, the pay-out would be £368,255.
Lancaster’s side are climbing the IRB world rankings and each place is worth £8,960 per player.
They are currently at No 3, although they won’t move up by beating New Zealand unless South Africa lose to Scotland.
Magic moment: England will need to repeat their 2003 World Cup success to gain all the money on offer
What it's all about... Jonny Wilkinson holding the trophy
The real riches are on offer at the World Cup in 2015. Should England reach the final at Twickenham, the 30-man squad would share an appearance fund of £1,750,000, while winning is worth another £3,150,000 — an overall £163,333 per man if they go all the way.
Meanwhile, New Zealand coach Steve Hansen believes a ‘special’ Test match is brewing for Saturday.
He said: ‘Every Test match you play for your country is special but there are certain games that become more special because of all the ingredients that go with it.
‘Twelve months ago England put in a really great performance and donkey-licked us. People are really talking it up and making it into a greater occasion.
Historic: The last time England won the Six Nations Grand Slam was also in 2003
‘People have bandied about the word “revenge” but that’s one of the silliest words you can use in rugby. It’s too strong, it’s a hateful word and our game is a beautiful game. What it is is an opportunity to see if we’ve improved.
‘Last year they were first, daylight was second and we were third. We’ve no excuses, we got beaten by a team that were better on the day. If we turn up and play as well as we can then we’re going to be hard to beat.
‘We’ve matured as a team, we’ve got a lot of experience, but we have an average age of just under 26.’
Proving they're No 1: Steve Hansen is looking to bounce back from last year's shock defeat
Northampton last night confirmed that their England prop, Alex Corbisiero, who has been ruled out of Saturday’s game with a knee injury, requires an operation to remove cartilage.
The RFU were left red-faced on Thursday after mis-spelling ‘sportsmanship’ on the inspirational disc in the England dressing room.
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