The rugby landscape could soon be set for a major shake up as the new R360 global ‘rebel’ league plans to launch in 2026, and despite some opposition, it does seem set to eventually kick off.
According to Telegraph Sport, the R360 has already secured around 160 men on legally binding pre-contracts, and four high-profile Springboks are reported to have already committed.
Recently, SA Rugby joined in a strong statement that has also been agreed by the national rugby unions of New Zealand, Australia, Ireland, England, Scotland, France and Italy, which largely opposed the concept of the league.
However, R360 still has its supporters, with former England and Australia coach Eddie Jones – now in charge of Japan – the latest to back the breakaway competition.
“I think we need it” Jones told The Times. “You think about what World Series Cricket did for cricket. It changed the whole game from being a drab game to being an exciting game that people wanted to get involved in. And I think that’s part of the problem of rugby at the moment.
“Test match rugby is that. But we need another level that’s an entertainment level that brings more fans and more sponsors and more commercialism into the game to allow our more traditional levels of rugby to continue.”
Now, while it’s unlikely that Springbok players in their prime would be lured to such a breakaway league, there is every chance that some veterans – who may be heading towards retirement – could be tempted by a significant payday as they perhaps heads towards a retirement age.
SA Rugby takes clear position on rebel rugby league
In one clear statement, it was confirmed by SA Rugby that participation in the R360 would make any player “ineligible for international selection”.
“As a group of national rugby unions, we are urging extreme caution for players and support staff considering joining the proposed R360 competition,” the statement read.
“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.”
What is the R360 all about?
Backed by private investors, some of whom are reportedly from Saudi Arabia, the league – set to launch in September 2026 – aims to challenge the current professional rugby landscape by offering significantly higher salaries to attract the world’s top players.
The R360 league is still in the developmental phase, but it has generated significant discussion and concern within the rugby world, with many seeing it as a serious challenge to the sport’s established structures.
