R360 rugby league offers big pay but players risk Test bans

A proposed 'rebel' rugby league is offering players lucrative contracts, but unions warn that participation could make them ineligible for Test rugby. By Craig Ray

- By Craig Ray

Ellie Kildunne of England. R360 is trying to lure top women's players too.

(Photo: Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)

For the past 11 months, an organisation calling itself Rugby Reinvented, or R360, has been drip-feeding vague details to selected UK media outlets of a breakaway league promising huge salaries to players.

In broad terms, R360's stated objective, according to its prospectus, is a "revolutionary Grand Prix-style global franchise rugby competition, aiming to feature the world's best male and female players across 16 rounds in iconic international stadiums".

Some reports published in the past few months have even linked several unnamed Springbok players to the breakaway league, without quoting sources.

How R360 will be funded, who will coach and play, where the teams will be located and how it fits into a greater global rugby picture are all issues that are less clear.

Former England World Cup winner Mike Tindall is named as one of R360's executive team. The other driving force is former Bath director of rugby Stuart Hooper, and John Loffhagen, the lawyer who played a key role in the launch of LIV Golf.

After months of seeing these vague details published in selected media outlets, the national unions of New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, Ireland, England, Scotland, France and Italy issued an unprecedented joint statement last week.

They cautioned players against falling for promises of a 16-game season while still being eligible for their national teams.

"As a group of national rugby unions, we are urging extreme caution for players and support staff considering joining the proposed R360 competition," the statement read.

"Each of the national unions will therefore be advising men's and women's players that participation in R360 would make them ineligible for international selection."