What is R360? Amid Zac Lomax speculation, here’s everything you need to know about the rebel rugby union competition

What did Rugby Australia and the NRL say about this?

It’s fair to say that rugby union and league governing bodies in Australia are not fans of R360.

Australian rugby league commission chairman Peter V’Landys described it as “a rivalry straight out of a Cornflakes box”.

“I’m not really worried about it because that’s what it is, it’s completely unprofessional; they have no business plan,” he said.

“Every player who leaves really risks his career. They should look at Salford in the Super League this year, it was a similar situation, the players were not paid.

“So look, like I said, this is a Corn Flakes box contest. I’m not going to worry about it.”

Meanwhile, Rugby Australia is preparing to blacklist potential Wallabies if they join the rebel competition.

Rugby Australia and seven of the world’s leading rugby union nations issued a joint statement condemning R360 and warning players that participation would make them ineligible for international selection.

The statement, co-signed by unions from Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Ireland, England, Scotland, France and Italy, is the strongest ever objection to privately funded competition.

Argentina and Fiji are the only countries in the men’s top 10 Test rankings that have not signed the declaration.

“Each of the national associations will advise male and female players that joining R360 will make them ineligible for international selection,” the statement said.

How will it work?

Details are minimal at this stage, but here’s what we know so far.

• The inaugural season will begin on October 2, 2026 and will consist of six men’s teams and four women’s teams.
• In 2027 (a 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 be expanded to eight teams.
• In 2028, the competition will include 16 events running from April to September.
• Franchise locations are expected to be in London, Miami, Tokyo, Dubai, Boston, Cape Town, Lisbon and Madrid.
• Teams will be registered with the United Arab Emirates Rugby Federation.
• Players will be given the full version to play international rugby.
• Players will own their IP and not be owned by their team or R360, maximizing their off-field earning capacity.
• A player draft will be held in July next year and players will be assigned to teams.
• All players will be able to choose their country of residence and will not be required to reside in franchise locations.

Parramatta coach Jason Ryles told News Corp that the club would “seriously consider” potentially taking Lomax off his $650,000-a-year deal if Lomax remains a starter at R360. The NSW Origin and Kangaroos star is signed until the end of 2028.

Privately, the Eels have stated that they are unlikely to agree to an early exit without a significant release fee. But player representatives involved in negotiations with R360 say it has been emphasized that exit payments from existing contracts will rarely be considered and, if so, only for key players.

Loading

“Clubs want the NRL to take some pretty tough action and that’s what we’re considering,” V’landys said of players pushing for an early release.

“If you have a contract with the NRL we expect you to honor that and if you don’t there will be consequences. There are certain things that clubs want us to do and we’re looking at that.”

“Naturally we are listening to our clubs and they want to make sure their players are safe and we will help them with that.”

Broncos premiership Payne Haas’ management has postponed a meeting with Rugby 360 bosses despite the rebel competition agreeing a game fee of at least US$2 million.

Haas management want to make sure they do not breach NRL rules when opening negotiations with the R360.

Sources with knowledge of the situation, who spoke on condition of anonymity for privacy reasons, said Haas’s representative told R360 bosses that his client would not accept offers unless they were worth more than US$2 million ($3 million).

It is claimed that R360 bosses have not ignored the asking price and are still willing to negotiate with Haas.