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THE THINK PIECE
Rugby World
|January 2026
Considering the bigger picture with Counteruck, the new culture of rugby
THE RUGBY world has been divided over one major story this year: R360. The breakaway league proposed by English legend Mike Tindall has the potential to take the club game to a whole new level. But with seemingly every nation trying to stop their players from joining, R360 has hit a roadblock. Which begs the question: why? First, what is R360? The league would see the creation of 12 franchises (eight men's and four women's) and aims to involve the biggest stars from both union and league. The franchises will tour around major cities across the world to compete - think F1 or the SVNS series. R360 has the potential to bring a level of global attraction and attention that club rugby has never seen before.
This story is from the January 2026 edition of Rugby World.
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