Racing
League
Rugby
Cricket
Golf
Motorsport
Combat Sports
Football
Netball
Basketball
Other Sports
Sport Nation
Rugby Australia to block R360 as NRL downplays threat
Scott Bailey, Melissa Woods & Justin Chadwick, AAP •  October 1st, 2025 8:20 pm
Ryan Papenhuyzen is focused on the NRL decider against Brisbane, but remains interested in R360 | Photo: Joel Carrett/AAP
Rugby Australia is preparing to blacklist Test players, while the NRL is alert but not alarmed after organisers of breakaway global rugby competition R360 revealed plans for an October 2026 start date.
The governing bodies and player agents in both codes were this week informed of growing confidence the rebel league will be able to take off, with claims funding has been secured for three seasons.
Former England World Cup winner Mike Tindall is the co-founder and main face of the new competition, and in its first season there are reportedly plans for six to eight men's teams and four women's.
Roger Tuivasa-Sheck goes on the attack for the Warriors at home to the Titans | Photo: Andrew Cornaga/AAP
Players would represent franchises, based in cities such as London, Dubai, Boston, Tokyo and Cape Town, and top contracts would be worth more than $1 million per year.
Each round will be played in a different city, similar to the Saudi-backed LIV Golf or sevens rugby.
Ryan Papenhuyzen is the highest-profile NRL player to have shown interest, while cross-code star Roger Tuivasa-Sheck also confirmed talks with organisers.
NSW State of Origin winger Zac Lomax has also been linked, but has an Eels contract until the end of 2028.
An October 2 start date next year would fall during any 2026 NRL playing contracts.
Papenhuyzen, Lomax and young South Sydney fullback Jye Gray, also in the sights of recruiters, are managed by Clinton Schifcofske, who said his players wouldn't break their current deals.
"I can categorically tell you if something happened, even going to another club, none of my players would ever break a contract," Schifcofske told AAP on Wednesday.
Zac Lomax scores a spectacular try for the Eels against Penrith | Photo: Mark Evans/AAP
Papenhuyzen has previously confirmed his talks with the competition, but said this week it was not something he was considering in the lead-up to Sunday's NRL grand final.
"Not since all the stuff throughout the middle of the year (have I spoken to them), it's been good just to chill out and let that ... sort itself out," Papenhuyzen told AAP.
"There's an off-season coming up, so I guess that's when the decisions are all made."
The competition pushed back its application to seek approval from World Rugby until late 2026, but RA's initial stance is that it would not select R360 players to play Test rugby, ruling them out of the 2027 World Cup in Australia.
It's believed this stance is shared by many of the major unions, who see the competition as offering nothing to the countries who develop the talent, and sceptical about its changing business model and financing.
RA has already locked away a number of key Wallabies until after the World Cup, including skipper Harry Wilson, centre Len Ikitau, flanker Fraser McReight and fullback Tom Wright.
No current Wallabies have conceded public interest, with Test flanker Carlo Tizzano, speaking at a 2027 Rugby World Cup announcement, saying it wasn't on their radar.
"To be honest we are so busy we don't really hear much about it and don't know much about it as we're so focused on getting a result for the Wallabies," the Western Force forward said ahead of the Bledisloe Cup Test in Perth on Saturday.
Why the R360 is just another flawed and misguided rugby concept | Scotty & Izzy
ARL Commission chairman Peter V'landys said on Tuesday morning he had no concern over the threat of the breakaway competition taking players.
But he warned there would be "consequences" if players quit an NRL contract for the new concept.
"Anything that doesn't have a business model or a financier or a backer, you can't take seriously," V'landys said.
"If someone shows me a business plan, how they're going to pay for this and how they're going to pay for the players, how they're going to promote it.
"I saw that they were looking at YouTube. YouTube's a great channel, but it's certainly not going to generate the revenues that they would provide."
V'landys also confirmed NRL clubs had pressed him to sanction players or agents who broke contracts to join the competition.
"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," he said.
