Leicester and Racing 92 splash out but rugby still behind football in pay league | Paul Rees

Manu Tuilagi and Dan Carter have signed big deals but even though salaries in union are going well up beyond the rate of inflation the best-paid players are lagging behind compared to footballersDan Carter will start earning his reported £1.3m this weekend when he makes his debut for Racing 92 against Northampton in the European Champions Cup in Paris. It will come at the end of a week that started with Manu Tuilagi signing a new contract with Leicester worth, according to different accounts, between £400,000 and £450,000 a year.What rugby players earn in Europe is very rarel…