What have Rugby Australia and the NRL said about it?
It’s safe to say the governing bodies for rugby union and league in Australia aren’t fans of R360.
Peter V’Landys, chair of the Australian rugby league commission, called it a “competition out of a Corn Flakes box”.
“I’m not really concerned about it because that’s what it is, it’s a completely unprofessional — they’ve got no business plan,” he said.
“Any player who goes is really risking their career. They have to look at Salford this year in the Super League; it was a similar situation, the players didn’t get paid.
“So, look, as I said, it’s a competition out of a Corn Flakes box. I’m not going to be concerned about it.”
Meanwhile, Rugby Australia is preparing to blacklist potential Wallabies if they join the rebel competition.
Rugby Australia and seven of the world’s leading rugby union nations issued a joint statement condemning R360 and warning players that participation would make them ineligible for international selection.
The statement – co-signed by the unions of Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Ireland, England, Scotland, France, and Italy – is the strongest pushback yet against the privately funded competition.
Argentina and Fiji are the only nations in the men’s top 10 Test rankings who have not signed the statement.
“Each of the national unions will be advising men’s and women’s players that participation in R360 would make them ineligible for international selection,” the statement said.
How will it work?
Details are minimal at this stage, but this is what we know so far.
- The inaugural season will launch on October 2, 2026, and include six male teams and four female teams.
- In 2027 (a Rugby World Cup year), the 12-event competition will run from April to September and include semi-finals and a final. The men’s competition will expand to eight teams.
- In 2028, the competition will include 16 events running from April to September.
- The franchise locations are expected to be based in London, Miami, Tokyo, Dubai, Boston, Cape Town, Lisbon, and Madrid.
- The teams will be registered to the United Arab Emirates Rugby Federation.
- Players will be granted full releases to play international rugby.
- The players will own their IP and not be owned by their team or R360, maximising their off-field earning capacity.
- A player draft will be held in July of next year, with players will be assigned to teams.
- All players will be able to choose their country of residence and won’t be asked to reside in their franchise location.
Parramatta coach Jason Ryles told News Corp that the club would “have a serious think about” potentially releasing Lomax from his $650,000-a-year deal if he were to pursue a start in R360, despite the NSW Origin and Kangaroos star being signed until the end of 2028.
Privately, the Eels have indicated they are unlikely to entertain an early exit without a significant release fee. However, player agents involved in negotiations with R360 say it has been stressed that exit payments from existing contracts will rarely be entertained, and if so, only for marquee recruits.
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“The clubs want the NRL to take some pretty harsh action, and we’re considering it,” V’landys said regarding players pushing for early releases.
“If you’ve got a contract with the NRL, we expect you to honour it, and if you don’t, there’s going to be consequences. There’s a number that the clubs want us to do, and we’re looking at it.
“Naturally, we listen to our clubs, and they want to make sure that their players are secured, and we’ll assist them in that regard.”
Broncos premiership winner Payne Haas’ management has postponed a meeting with Rugby 360 bosses despite the rebel competition agreeing to a playing fee of at least $US2 million.
Haas’ management wants to be certain that they are not in breach of NRL rules when they open negotiations with R360.
Sources with knowledge of the situation, speaking on the condition of anonymity due to confidentiality, said Haas’ agent told R360 bosses that his client would not be entertaining offers unless they were north of $US2 million ($3 million).
It is suggested R360 bosses did not blink at the asking price and are still keen to talk with Haas.
