The manager of Warriors star Roger Tuivasa-Sheck has confirmed his client is considering a lucrative defection to breakaway rugby competition R360, and is also backing Knights star Kalyn Ponga to make the switch.
The Herald has this week reported that both Tuivasa-Sheck and Ponga are considering switching to the 15-man code.
The latest threat to the NRL comes in the form of a reported Saudi Arabian-backed rebel rugby union competition that aims to have 200 players signed by the end of September to begin a global circuit tournament from next year.
Tuivasa-Sheck’s agent Bruce Sharrock has close ties to the R360 competition and confirmed that his client is giving strong consideration to signing a deal that would see him earn more than $1 million per season after his Warriors contract expires at the end of 2026.
The 32-year-old, who is on around $550,000 at the Warriors next year, still has one more year to run on his current deal but is set to almost double his salary in the twilight of his career if the breakaway competition gets off the ground.
“We’ve explored what is a developing competition called R360,” Sharrock said.
Roger Tuivasa-Sheck: A Warrior again.Credit: Getty
“It’s been in the making for 12-18 months. Roger comes off his current NRL contract in 2026, and as part of that planning, I threw this in front of him and asked if he had any interest in this option. He said ‘why wouldn’t I?’ I’ve always encouraged all my players to look at all options, and that’s where we are at right now.
“[With] the relationship that I hold with every club, and the Warriors in particular, transparency is key. They are aware that it’s an option that we’re genuinely looking at. That’s not to discount that we could look at an extension with the Warriors or another rugby league side, for that matter. It’s part of our process.”
The competition is yet to get off the ground and needs to hit three major triggers to secure the private equity and reported Saudi-Arabian funding to turn it into a reality.
The first trigger is to have the franchises purchased and legally drafted. The second requires the confirmation of a broadcast partner, while the third element of the deal requires competition organisers to secure 200 players. All three targets must be reached by the end of September.
Roger Tuivasa Sheck playing for the All Blacks in 2022.Credit: AP
Sources with knowledge of the situation, talking on the condition of anonymity due to confidentiality agreements, said that there were close to 140 players committed to the competition.
While Ponga hasn’t been directly linked to R360, he has engaged New Zealand-based rugby union agent Kent Hale from Halo Sport to explore his options in the 15-man game.
Sharrock said the concept is a threat to the NRL with top-line players expected to earn US$2 million (A$3.1 million) per year.
It’s more than double what Ponga is earning ($1.4 million) in 2025 as the highest-paid player in the NRL.
Kalyn Ponga is out injured for the remainder of the year.Credit: Getty Images
“I think it’s something the NRL should be worried about with their dual-code players who would be capable of playing both codes at a high level,” he said.
“They’re really looking at rugby players. Roger has appeal because he’s already been a dual-coder. I think there’s some rugby league players that could do it, and Kalyn Ponga is one of them. There’ll be rugby league players who have attraction, but they won’t have the eyes of the greater global rugby market.
“Let’s face it, in France - where there is a huge rugby audience - who’s Kalyn Ponga? He’s known down here, but he’s not known up there. The audience that are buying in are in the United States and Europe. In saying that, he will be a bloody good target. The money is significant.”
While rugby traditionalists and existing bodies and teams are opposed to the idea of the rebel competition, Sharrock has implored the game to rethink its future.
“It’s something rugby should really open its eyes to,” Sharrock said.
“If it does become something real, they need to all get around the table and reimagine what rugby union could look like globally. That’s where I do see, not the threat, but the opportunity. If someone is willing to invest a lot of money into the game to re-energise it and reinvigorate it, I personally would be getting on the back of it and work out how to capitalise on it.”
Tuivasa-Sheck’s brother, Johnny, was only made aware of a potential code switch after being shown this masthead’s report.
“Oh, that’s crazy, that’s buzzing. Honestly, I’m surprised. When he was playing rugby he was so keen to come back to the ’Wahs, if you watch him he likes that aggression, he likes to run it hard,” said Johnny, a media personality who was capturing content for Stan at the Paul Gallen-Sonny Bill Williams fight.
“Going back to rugby is a massive shock to me, but he will kill it.”
Former England rugby international Mike Tindall is the public face of R360. Tindall, who is married to British royal family member Zara Phillips, is in Australia to watch the British and Irish Lions tour.
The R360 concept will follow a hybrid model of Formula 1 and the Indian Premier League, with private owners to invest in franchises around the world.
The players who sign with R360 aren’t signing for specific franchises but rather the competition itself, with the potential for auctions and drafts being floated.
One model being discussed will see a joint Australia and New Zealand-based franchise as well as teams based in the United States, France, England, South America, Asia and South Africa in an eight-team competition that could grow to 12 teams.
Competition organisers want to launch a one-off tournament next season, potentially from July to September, before adopting a regular format in 2027.
The intended format in 2027 will see the competition split into two blocks, with the first half of the tournament played between March and May and the second stage played between September and December. That window is largely in competition with the NRL, which currently runs from March to October.
Warriors CEO Cameron George raised the threat of R360 at last week’s NRL club CEO’s conference and believes the threat it poses to the sport is genuine.
with Adrian Proszenko
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