Former rugby player forced to retire through injury sells drinks company for £64m
Rugby NewsTuesday, 11 August 2026 at 11:28
Former rugby player Gary Lavin has completed a remarkable journey from seeing his sporting dreams ended by injury to selling the drinks company he founded for £64million.
Lavin founded health and wellness drinks brand VitHit in 2000 after being forced to give up rugby because of a serious knee injury in his early 20s.
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More than 25 years later, the company has agreed a £64m sale to drinks group Nichols, with Lavin set to step away from the business once the deal is completed.
Lavin served as chairman and owned more than 70 per cent of VitHit.
The company generated £22.8m in revenue last year, with around 40 per cent of sales coming from the UK and another 40 per cent from Ireland.
What did Gary Lavin say about the sale?
Reflecting on the deal, Lavin said: “Since launching VitHit more than 25 years ago, our ambition has always been to build a distinctive health and wellness drinks brand with broad consumer appeal.
“We are proud of what the team has achieved and consider Nichols the ideal partner to support the next stage of the brand's development.”
Nichols chief executive Andrew Milne believes there is considerable potential to grow the brand further.
He said VitHit had “significant headroom for growth” and added: “Nichols is ideally placed to accelerate VitHit’s development through our commercial capabilities, customer relationships, route-to-market expertise and international infrastructure.
“A significant opportunity exists to expand distribution across the group’s existing customer base.”
Rugby dream ended by injury
The story behind VitHit can be traced directly back to Lavin's rugby career.
As a young player, he harboured ambitions of representing Ireland before a knee injury forced him to walk away from the sport.
That setback ultimately helped put him on the path towards creating VitHit as a healthier alternative to the sugary sports drinks available at the time.
Speaking in 2019, Lavin admitted: “There is no such thing as a happy injury, but I have to say things turned out pretty well.
“Nevertheless, as a rugby player in my early twenties, all I wanted was to play rugby for Ireland and become a superstar.
“While I might only have ever been a journeyman, the inherent confidence of the rugby player within was shattered.”
The 20 Highest-Paid Rugby Players in the World in 2026
Exact figures are rarely disclosed, particularly in Japan and South Africa, so every amount should be treated as an informed estimate rather than a confirmed salary.
20. Manie Libbok – Hanazono Kintetsu Liners
Estimated salary: £500,000 per year
Libbok secured the biggest contract of his career by moving from the Stormers to Japan. The Springbok fly-half’s creativity, pace and attacking instincts make him one of the Liners’ headline overseas signings.
19. Louis Bielle-Biarrey (Bordeaux-Bègles)
Estimated salary: £500,000–£600,000
The reigning World Rugby Breakthrough Player of the Year has become one of the sport's biggest stars. Bordeaux-Bègles moved quickly to secure the winger on an improved long-term contract after his remarkable rise, making him one of the best-paid young players in world rugby.
18. George Ford – Sale Sharks
Estimated salary: £500,000–£550,000 per year
Ford remains one of the PREM’s best-paid playmakers. The England fly-half is central to Sale’s ambitions and commands a premium because of his tactical control, experience and elite goal-kicking.
17. Marcus Smith – Harlequins
Estimated salary: £500,000–£550,000 per year
The face of Harlequins continues to be one of English rugby’s most marketable players. Smith’s club contract, combined with his England enhanced deal, places him close to the global top 20.
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16. Lood de Jager – Saitama Wild Knights
Estimated salary: £525,000–£600,000 per year
The towering Springbok lock remains a highly prized figure in Japan. His lineout expertise, physicality and vast Test experience make him one of Saitama’s most important overseas players.
15. Owen Farrell (Saracens)
Estimated salary: £600,000–£685,000 per year
Farrell remains one of rugby's biggest earners despite returning to Saracens after just one season in France. His Racing 92 deal was reported to be worth around £685,000 per year, and although his current contract is believed to be lower, the England great is still among the Premiership's highest-paid players
14. Matthieu Jalibert – Bordeaux-Bègles
Estimated salary: £550,000–£600,000 per year
One of the Top 14’s premier fly-halves, Jalibert is among the small group of players in France earning around or above €600,000 annually. His attacking ability and importance to Bordeaux justify his position among the game’s leading earners.
13. Grégory Alldritt – La Rochelle
Estimated salary: £550,000–£600,000 per year
The France back-rower has been one of La Rochelle’s defining players during their rise into a European powerhouse. French salary research has consistently placed Alldritt among the Top 14’s biggest earners.
12. Will Skelton – La Rochelle
Estimated salary: £550,000–£600,000 per year
Skelton’s enormous influence at club level has made him one of the most valuable forwards in Europe. The giant Wallabies lock is another La Rochelle star believed to earn at least €600,000 per season.
11. Jesse Kriel – Yokohama Canon Eagles
Estimated salary: £600,000–£650,000 per year
Kriel has established himself as one of Japan’s leading overseas centres. A double World Cup winner and senior Springbok, his reliability, defensive quality and leadership give him considerable market value.
10. Malcolm Marx – Kubota Spears
Estimated salary: £600,000–£675,000 per year
Widely regarded as one of the finest hookers in world rugby, Marx remains a marquee name in Japan. Available estimates place his Kubota package at around $750,000 to $850,000 annually.
9. Pieter-Steph du Toit – Toyota Verblitz
Estimated salary: £625,000–£675,000 per year
The two-time World Rugby Player of the Year commands one of the largest forward contracts in Japan. Du Toit’s reported package is close to $800,000 per season.
8. Handré Pollard – Vodacom Bulls
Estimated salary: £650,000 per year
Pollard returned to Pretoria on one of the biggest contracts in South African rugby history. His package reportedly combines his Bulls salary with SA Rugby support and additional commercial agreements, keeping his earnings close to what he received at Leicester.
7. Damian de Allende – Saitama Wild Knights
Estimated salary: £700,000–£775,000 per year
De Allende is believed to be the highest-paid Springbok currently playing in Japan. Estimates place his contract at between $900,000 and $1 million, reflecting his status as a double World Cup winner and one of the game’s leading centres.
6. Eben Etzebeth – Hollywoodbets Sharks
Estimated package: £750,000–£800,000 per year
The Springboks’ record cap-holder is one of the central figures in the Sharks’ star-studded squad. His overall package is thought to combine club earnings, SA Rugby support and commercial arrangements.
5. Siya Kolisi – Hollywoodbets Sharks
Estimated package: £775,000–£825,000 per year
Kolisi’s value extends far beyond his performances on the field. The double World Cup-winning captain remains one of rugby’s most commercially powerful figures, while his Sharks and national arrangements place him among the sport’s biggest earners.
4. Maro Itoje – Saracens
Estimated total package: £800,000–£950,000 per year
Itoje remains England’s leading earner. His overall package includes his Saracens contract and an RFU enhanced agreement, although the exact combined value has never been formally disclosed. The RFU element alone has previously been reported at around £150,000 to £160,000 annually.
3. Finn Russell – Bath Rugby
Estimated salary: £900,000–£1 million per year
Russell joined Bath on one of the largest contracts in PREM history and has since extended his stay until June 2028. His original agreement was widely reported at approximately £900,000 to £1 million annually.
2. Romain Ntamack – Toulouse
Estimated total package: £900,000–£1 million per year
Ntamack’s long-term importance to Toulouse has placed him among the club’s most valuable assets. His overall package is understood to include salary and image-rights arrangements, although there is no reliable public confirmation of an exact seven-figure basic wage.
For that reason, his placement carries more uncertainty than Russell’s or Dupont’s.
1. Antoine Dupont – Toulouse
Estimated package: approximately £1.2 million per year
Dupont signed a remarkable extension keeping him at Toulouse until 2031. The financial details were not officially disclosed, but the agreement has been widely reported as making the France captain the highest-paid rugby player in the world.
The scrum-half’s value is unparalleled in the modern game. He is Toulouse’s most important player, the face of French rugby and one of the sport’s few genuinely global superstars.
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