The players who have been selected in this year's British and Irish Lions squad will each receive an unprecedented amount of money. The upcoming tour of Australia is just around the corner, with the 38-strong group due to travel Down Under in the coming days. Before flying out, they will play a warm-up game against Argentina at the Aviva Stadium on Friday night.
While it is the honour of a lifetime to be selected in a Lions touring squad, the players involved will not be working for free. The money involved in rugby is nowhere near the same as other sports like football, where top players can earn millions of pounds each week, but those in the squad are still due to receive a hefty participation fee.
Express Sport takes a look at how much they will be paid...
How much do British & Irish Lions players get paid?
Each member of the squad will receive around £100,000 as part of a landmark profit-sharing agreement. The new payment structure will see players entitled to a share of the post-tour profits, which are projected to surpass £10million.
As a result, there is expected to be a 25 per cent increase on the £80,000 that was paid to players involved in the 2017 tour of New Zealand.
All games during the 2021 tour of South Africa took place behind closed doors because of the Covid-19 pandemic. It resulted in the players receiving a reduced payment of £48,000, which would have included a £10,000 bonus if they had won the series.
The new deal was struck between the players' associations of England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Simon Keogh, who was privy to negotiations on the Irish side, described the agreement as 'fair' for everybody involved.
"I'd like to thank the British and Irish Lions for their honesty, transparency, and genuine consideration of the players' voice," said Keogh.
"As a result, I believe that we have reached an agreement that is both fair and reflective of the strong collaboration between all stakeholders in rugby."
Lions chief executive Ben Calveley added: "We know that players love playing for the Lions and it is the pinnacle of their professional careers. This landmark agreement highlights how they are at the centre of our thinking.
"I would like to thank Simon Keogh, who acted on behalf of all the unions from a player representative perspective and was integral in bringing all of this together.
"I would also like to thank our Unions who each played a key role in the development of this agreement which crucially reflects the value we place on our players."
