The IRFU will receive roughly €5.15 million as a result of Andy Farrell’s team not only winning the 2023 Guinness Six Nations title but also completing just a fourth Grand Slam in history.
The Six Nations puts 10 per cent of its overall profits into an ‘incentive pool’, a prize fund in all but name, which can vary slightly from year to year but this tournament is expected to come to around €13.7 million (or £12 million), from which the winning country pockets roughly €4.23 million with a sliding scale down to around €1 million for the country which finishes last.
While it has been widely reported that a Grand Slam-winning country earns €6.85 million out of a prize fund of €18.25 million, the distribution from the incentive pool from the Six Nations profits is both slightly less and more complicated.
But the reward for finishing first is swelled by a bonus of an estimated €900,000, which in turn means the other five countries’ share is reduced almost €200,000 apiece. Hence, the IRFU will receive about €5.15 million.
Shayne Bolton’s arrival in Ireland squad could give UK press a fit of the vapours
England set to name both Smiths in starting XV for France Six Nations clash
Scotland v Ireland: TV details, kick-off time and team news for Sunday’s Murrayfield clash
Credit where it’s due for Ireland’s performance and new Gaelic football rules
While this is relatively small compared to the revenues generated by all six competing countries through broadcasting deals and sponsorship, it is still a welcome windfall for the IRFU, who would conservatively budget for a fourth-place finish of €2.86 million.
Of course, a large chunk of this goes towards the Irish squad’s bonus pool, which is estimated to be circa €1.5-2 million in light of them winning the Grand Slam, and is paid out on an appearance-based sliding scale. That leaves over €3 million for the IRFU to invest back into the game.
To further put the Six Nations prize fund in context, South Africa received €377,000 from winning the 2019 World Rugby. Across prize money for major sporting team events, the Premier League tops the list as Manchester City earned a whopping €189.1million for winning the title back in May.
