R360 Competition Players Subject to 10-Year Ban from NRL

Rugby league's administration has announced that participants who sign with the “breakaway” R360 will be barred for a decade.

R360, set to start in October 2026, is seeking to lure rugby union and rugby league players with lucrative deals and a condensed fixture list.

Prominent National Rugby League stars have reportedly received offers by R360, which will involve six to eight men's teams and women's teams based in key urban centers around the world.

The Samoan Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, who plays for the Warriors in the NRL, has said he has had negotiations involving the breakaway league.

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

Eight major rugby union nations, such as Australia, last week announced a ban on R360 recruits playing global fixtures.

“We've listened to our teams and we've responded strongly,” stated the league's chairman V'Landys.

“Unfortunately, there will always be organizations that try to exploit our game for monetary profit.

“They avoid funding in development systems or the development of talent. They simply exploit the dedication of existing bodies, jeopardizing careers of financial loss while profiting themselves.

“In truth, they represent, counterfeiting a code.”

The organization is established by ex-England star Mike Tindall and backed by private investors.

Subsequent to the possible union bans were revealed earlier, it said: “We want to work in partnership as integrated into the worldwide fixture list.

“The series is designed with customized calendars for both genders and the organization will allow all athletes for global fixtures, as included in their deals.”

The new league will seek approval for its proposals from the international authority, the sport's regulatory group, at its council meeting in the coming year.