R360 hits back at bans from major unions around world for any player who signs with rebel competition
Major international unions have united in their stand against R360, declaring that any player who signs up for the rebel competition will be banned from Test rugby and the Olympics.
Major unions including Australia will ban any player signing with rebel competition R360 from Test rugby and the Olympics.
The stunning development came overnight as Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Ireland, England, Scotland, France and Italy issued a joint warning to all of their players.
It means any of their male and female players who sign an R360 contract will no longer be considered for the 2027 World Cup and the 2028 LA Olympics.
“As a group of national rugby unions, we are urging extreme caution for players and support staff considering joining the proposed R360 competition,” the joint statement said.
“We all welcome new investment and innovation in rugby; and support ideas that can help the game evolve and reach new audiences; but any new competition must strengthen the sport as a whole, not fragment or weaken it.
“Among our roles as national unions, we must take a wider view on new propositions and assess their impact on a range of areas, including whether they add to rugby’s global ecosystem, for which we are all responsible, or whether they are a net negative to the game.
“R360 has given us no indication as to how it plans to manage player welfare; how players would fulfil their aspirations of representing their countries, and how the competition would coexist with the international and domestic calendars so painstakingly negotiated in recent years for both our men’s and women’s games.
“The R360 model, as outlined publicly, rather appears designed to generate profits and return them to a very small elite, potentially hollowing out the investment that national unions and existing leagues make in community rugby, player development, and participation pathways.
“International rugby and our major competitions remain the financial and cultural engine that sustains every level of the game — from grassroots participation to elite performance. Undermining that ecosystem could be enormously harmful to the health of our sport.
“These are all issues that would have been much better discussed collaboratively, but those behind the proposed competition have not engaged with or met all unions to explain and better understand their business and operating model.
“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.”
CODE Sports is aware of 10 Wallabies who are considering offers from R360, as are several high profile All Blacks and British & Irish Lions stars.
But the joint announcement means players must now give up their Test jerseys to earn the millions on offer by the rebel competition.
R360 officials immediately hit back at the unions, saying they’d provided 120 pages of documentation to World Rugby outlining detailed plans developed by world-leading experts on a range of areas, from competition regulations to player welfare measures to anti-doping policy.
“It’s not always easy to embrace new opportunities, but as we’ve seen throughout history, it’s essential for any sport to grow,” an R360 statement said.
“So many players love what R360 can do for them and the game, and we can’t wait to kick-off next year. Player welfare is one of the key reasons for creating our global series, which will greatly reduce player load and capture the attention of a new generation of fans globally.
“We want to work collaboratively as part of the global rugby calendar. The series is designed with bespoke schedules for men’s and women’s teams and R360 will release all players for international matches, as written into their contracts.
“Our philosophy is clear – if players want to play for their country, they should have that opportunity. Why would the unions stand in their way?
“We look forward to submitting to the World Rugby Council for sanctioning next summer as planned.”
Originally published as R360 hits back at bans from major unions around world for any player who signs with rebel competition
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