Ben Barba’s Astonishing Salary At Toulon Revealed

The French giants released a statement saying that the NRL star had agreed to jump codes until the end of the current campaign. Barba had originally hoped to continue his career in the NRL by playing for Toulon while serving a 12-match suspension for illicit drug use.

However, the NRL’s refusal to register his contract until his return from Toulon meant Barba was left to make a decision on staying in Sydney unsure of a return date with the Sharks, or severing ties all together.

He chose the latter and will now spend the next 2.5 years in the south of France, earning a reported €700,000 a season, making him one of the highest paid players in rugby union, despite having never played the code before.

“Ben does not have a registered contract with the NRL so he is free to make a decision to play in a different code with a new club,” NRL chief executive Todd Greenberg said yesterday.

 

“But the NRL will not consider any contract for registration until he has completed his contract with other sports.”

Barba underlined his frustration when he told TV reporters: “The NRL hasn’t given me much … I might never play the game again.”