RA set to block Wallabies if they switch to R360 as rebel competition sets launch date

Rugby Australia is preparing to blacklist potential Wallabies if they join the rebel Rugby 360 competition, which has informed player agents that it has secured financial backing for the next three years.

Multiple player managers contacted by this masthead confirmed R360 powerbrokers had been in contact on Tuesday night, advising of plans for a competition kick-off on October 2, 2026.

This masthead has been told that:

• The inaugural season will launch on October 2, 2026, and include six male teams and four female teams.
• In 2027 (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, where 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.

Contract templates were presented to agents for review last week, with organisers saying they have secured funding for an initial three-year competition across 2026, 2027, and 2028. Organisers said they want to finalise long-form contracts in the next month.

R360 recruiters have spent the year targeting rugby players and multiple NRL stars. Informed sources say several current Wallabies – along with former Wallabies and Australian sevens players – are among the 160 players who have signed a heads of agreement to negotiate with the rebel competition in the next month.

But despite contract offers of up to $1.4 million a season, the chance of Wallabies players taking the leap appears slim, with Rugby Australia set to overlook players from R360 for national selection.

According to sources with knowledge of the situation, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, RA has indicated it would not pick players for Test rugby from the R360 competition, based on the currently available information about the competition.

RA recently said it is prepared to pick an unlimited number of Wallabies from overseas clubs, and R360 has said it will observe all World Rugby regulations on releasing players for Test duty.

But RA is understood to be unconvinced about the lack of information about the high-performance environments of R360, and the longer-term viability of the competition, based on changing business models and financing arrangements.

With the World Cup being hosted in Australia in 2027, the RA position will have a major impact on R360’s ability to recruit Australian stars keen to play in the tournament, such as Max Jorgensen and Mark Nawaqanitawase.

R360 was a major topic of conversation at World Rugby meetings last week, and informed sources say many major national unions appear likely to take the same stance on not selecting Test players from R360. New Zealand have a firm policy of not selecting from overseas, and reports in the UK say the RFU is also likely to overlook R360 players for England duties.

NRL clubs have raised concerns of player raids in recent CEO meetings and ARL Commission chairman Peter V’landys warned on Tuesday that any player attempting to break a contract to join the rival code would face “consequences” from the governing body.

The likes of Melbourne stars Ryan Papenhuyzen, Nelson Asofa-Solomona, Warriors veteran Roger Tuivasa-Sheck and Parramatta flyer Zac Lomax have been targeted as potential recruits.

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.

“The clubs want the NRL to take some pretty harsh action, and we’re considering it,” V’landys said on any player pushing for an early release.

“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.”

The October 2 start date next year would also make it problematic for Australian rugby players who are under contract in 2026. Standard RA contracts expire on October 31, meaning players would require an early release to play in the first season.

Speaking before the latest update from R360 organisers to player managers, V’landys expressed scepticism shared by many officials in Australian rugby league and union circles about the concept’s viability.

“Anything that doesn’t have a business model or a financier or a backer, you can’t take seriously,” he 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 like.”

Despite focusing on Sunday’s grand final against the Broncos, the Storm have privately prepared for Papenhuyzen and Asofa-Solomona to take up the R360 riches on offer should the venture get off the ground.

Papenhuyzen told this masthead on Monday that he is open to a code-switch, having played rugby as a schoolboy.

“I’m open to anything, really,” he said. “You don’t know when your last game will be – my last game could be this weekend. You need to keep that perspective on things.

“For what I’ve had to go through, I know how close it is sometimes to it being the end.

“I don’t know too much more about [R360]. You can attach yourself to something, but what if it doesn’t happen?

“I’ve always heard people say, play every game like it’s your last, and I reckon that’s resonated with me. I took that mentality into the Sharks game [Friday’s preliminary final], I’ll take it into the Broncos game, and whatever happens after that, we’ll see.”

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