R360 has delayed the launch of its global franchise league by two years until 2028 amid doubts over its ability to recruit players and the viability of its commercial model.
The rebel league, which was scheduled to run a truncated 12-week season starting next October featuring eight men’s franchises and four women’s teams, is understood to have advised players who have signed pre-contract agreements that they are now null and void, and therefore they are free to sign elsewhere. In an email to players on its books and others who have expressed interest, R360 board member Stuart Hooper said the delay would “strengthen its integrity”.
R360 has been beset by problems since reports of the new grand prix-style franchise competition spearheaded by the former England World Cup captain Mike Tindall first emerged 12 months ago. The Guardian revealed in September that competition organisers had delayed its planned application for sanctioning by World Rugby that month until next June, which raised questions over their ability to launch four months later, although R360 insisted it would go ahead as planned.
In another significant blow, eight of the 12 tier-one unions, led by England and New Zealand, announced a ban on R360 players in October, a move that was followed this week by the British and Irish Lions, as has been previously reported in the Guardian. Australia’s National Rugby League, whose players have been heavily targeted, went even further by announcing that rugby league stars who joined R360 would be barred from returning to the competition for 10 years.
Despite these setbacks, Tindall had claimed this month that next year’s planned launch was on track and that “funding had been secured for the first three years of the tournament”, so the timing of the postponement on Friday came as a surprise.
In his email to players Hooper, a former Bath captain and director of rugby, indicated that the delay would give R360 longer to negotiate with the sport’s other stakeholders, although given the opposition of the major unions there is still no guarantee it will be sanctioned by World Rugby.
While 2026 was always intended as a soft launch, the men’s Rugby World Cup in 2027 presented additional complications, so R360 has opted to start with a full 16-week competition staged in four blocks in 2028.
“We appreciate this will be a shock for some and disappointing for all, but we’d like to explain the reasoning behind the decision,” Hooper wrote.
“We had detailed plans to launch in late 2026. A full season launch in 2028 means that we can: go straight into a full season rather than starting with two shortened seasons; spend more time speaking with rugby stakeholders to ensure you are not penalised with your international careers for choosing where you want to play club rugby; continue to build a commercial model that sees you paid fairly for the value you bring to the game.”
The top 40 players in R360 have been promised annual contracts worth at least $1m (about £750,000), which is comparable with the earnings of top England stars for a deal that would also permit them to play international rugby, although that is now in doubt.
Despite such bold financial commitments, R360 has yet to announce any commercial partners or reveal details of its broadcast model, although it has been reported matches would be made available free-to-air on YouTube. There have also been rumours in rugby circles that one of its financial backers may have withdrawn, although that has not been verified.
In a statement confirming the postponement on Friday, R360 revealed details of one of its investors for the first time, Martin Gilbert, the co-founder of Aberdeen Group and former chair of the financial technology company Revolut. The financier Roger Mitchell has previously confirmed he is a board member and has provided seed funding through his company, Albachiara.
Difficulties recruiting top players are also likely to have been a factor, with many big names recently committing elsewhere. France’s captain, Antoine Dupont, has re-signed with Toulouse until 2032, while England players George Ford, Fin Smith, Alex Mitchell and Fraser Dingwall have signed new deals with their clubs.
“The decision to shift our launch to 2028 is a strategic decision based on timing,” Tindall said. “Launching under compressed timelines would not meet the standards we set for R360, nor would it deliver the long-term commercial impact that the sport deserves.
“As a board we remain absolutely determined to bring R360 to life at full scale and with maximum global impact. We’re building something bold and new that will resonate globally – and we cannot wait to show the world in 2028.”
