Pollock left money on table to stay at Saints - Hearn

Henry Pollock turned down rival offers worth hundreds of thousands of pounds more than his extension to stay at boyhood club Northampton, says Eddie Hearn.

Hearn, whose Matchroom promotional empire is centred on boxing, darts and snooker, has been working as Pollock's adviser since March.

Pollock, 21, has agreed a new deal with Saints that extends his terms to summer 2028 and is worth more than £400,000 a year.

"There were a couple of domestic offers – a couple of Prem offers - and international offers as well," said Hearn of Pollock's options during his renegotiation.

"We had a very, very straight conversation. I said to him, 'be honest, do you want to go?' And he went, 'no, I really don't want to go'. And that was it.

"He knew the numbers, but ultimately he just wanted to stay at the club.

"He left a lot of money on the table to stay with Northampton. But it wasn't even a tough decision for him."

Hearn says that some of Pollock's suitors were offering "well in excess of seven figures".

The £1m mark was where Hearn valued Pollock's annual salary prospects in an interview with the Daily Telegraph interview in August., external

Hearn acknowledges that his client's new deal "didn't quite get to the number" that was targeted.

The headline basic figure Pollock has accepted does not account for a signing bonus and various payments he receives for off-pitch work.

And Hearn says that Pollock's endorsement deals have carried him comfortably over £1m in total annual earnings.

"Everybody from major financial institutions to household brands to performance brands to nutritional brands to wellness brands… I mean, there isn't really a sector that hasn't hasn't approached us about Henry Pollock," said Hearn.

Pollock is keen to explore the possibility of representing Great Britain in rugby sevens at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.

GB's qualification is far from certain after the programme went part-time and the team slipped from the top tier of the international circuit.

The back row's new deal does not include the sort of dedicated time to train up for sevens that France captain Antoine Dupont took before Paris 2024, but the prospect has been raised with Saints.

"Our principal obligation is to perform for Northampton and to help them win championships," said Hearn.

"Part of the arrangement allows him to look at those kind of opportunities, but only with a sensible conversation with the club."

'If Matchroom did rugby, it would be a stroll in the park'

Pollock's ability to maximise his on-pitch earnings in England is restricted by a £6.4m salary cap for Prem clubs.

Each team is allowed one player whose salary is exempt from the calculations; however, players who move between top-tier teams can only qualify for such marquee status after two years with their new side.

Hearn would scrap the cap entirely.

"Let the players earn," he said. "All they hear about is salary caps or one star player per team - marquee names or whatever you want to call it. You don't want that.

"You want to say to a young player, 'hey, come to rugby, you can be a superstar and you can earn a fortune'.

"You could have lost Pollock and it would have been a disaster for English rugby."

The salary cap is designed to make the Prem sustainable and competitive, with similar systems in place in most major American sports.

Players such as Pollock can supplement club earnings with a central England contract, worth about £150,000 a year, or one-off Test match fees.

Still, some England players, such as Jack Willis, Kyle Sinckler and Sam Simmonds, have left for France's Top 14 where a salary cap of 11m euros (£9.4m) offers scope for greater earnings.

Hearn's current stable of rugby stars is only two strong. Bath and Scotland fly-half Finn Russell is similarly represented by Matchroom in off-pitch matters and advised by Hearn.

However, Hearn has ambitions to become more deeply involved in the staging and promotion of the game. He is set to meet with Prem Rugby chief executive Simon Massie-Taylor in Monaco in the coming weeks to discuss ideas.

"We haven't really touched the surface in terms of what we could do in the sport," said Hearn.

"All I've done is done a few deals with Henry, he's come to a couple of fights and I've done a couple of Zoom calls [with journalists].

"That just shows you the buzz that can be created with a little bit of hype and perception.