The top dogs of the sport can now expect to earn salaries of hundreds of thousands of pounds - and that's before bonuses, sponsorship and image rights.
And history has been made recently with players passing the £1 million-a-year mark for the first time.
We've looked at a number of sources to come up with this rugby union rich list - based on reported salaries paid out by the world's biggest clubs.
1. Finn Russell - £1 million +
Scotland's talismanic co-captain Finn Russell reportedly became the highest paid rugby union player on the planet when he moved to Bath after the 2023 World Cup, with a salary of at least £1 million a year. He's recently been challenged for the title by another Six Nations skipper though...
2. Owen Farrell - £1 million +
England captain Owen Farrell was already pretty well paid at Saracens, but a recent move is set to shoot him up the earnings list. In January 2024 it was confirmed he would move to French side Racing 92 at the end of 2023/24 season. He's understood to be upping his earnings to more than £1million per year, with some reports putting the figure as high as £1.2 million.
3. Cheslin Kolbe - £930,000
Rugby's answer to golf's megabucks LIV tour - or footballers moving to Saudi Arabia for staggering sums - is hopping on the plane to the Japanese league. South African double Rugby World Cup winner Cheslin Kolbe leads the money list in Japan with Suntory Sungoliath paying him an annual salary of around £930,000.
4. Faf De Klerk - £900,000
Another member of the South African team that won the World Cup in both 2019 and 2023 who has moved to Japan, Faf De Klerk earns a reported £900,000 a year from Yokohama Canon Eagles.