R360 League Players Hit With Decade-Long Exclusion from National Rugby League

Australian rugby league's administration has declared that athletes who sign with the “breakaway” R360 competition will be banned for 10 years.

The new league, which plans to launch in 2026, is seeking to lure rugby union and rugby league players with hefty contracts and a condensed game calendar.

Prominent rugby league players have reportedly received offers by the breakaway group, which will include six or eight men's clubs and four women's teams operating from large metropolitan areas around the world.

The Samoan the rugby star, who represents the Warriors in the league, has said he has had discussions with the breakaway league.

Papenhuyzen, Zac Lomax, Payne Haas and Jye Gray are also said to be thinking about signing R360.

A group of union nations, such as Australia, earlier announced a ban on R360 recruits playing international matches.

“We heard our teams and we've responded strongly,” stated the league's head Peter V'Landys.

“Unfortunately, there will always be organizations that seek to pirate our sport for monetary profit.

“They don't invest in pathways or the development of athletes. They simply exploit the hard work of others, endangering athletes of monetary damage while gaining personally.

“They are, in reality, imitating the sport.”

The organization is co-founded by former England World Cup winner Tindall and funded by independent financiers.

Subsequent to the prospective union sanctions were revealed earlier, it commented: “We seek to cooperate collaboratively as integrated into the international rugby schedule.

“The competition is structured with tailored timetables for male and female sides and we will release all players for global fixtures, as written into their deals.”

The new league will seek approval for its initiatives from rugby union's governing body, the sport's regulatory group, at its official gathering next year.