R360 Athletes Subject to 10-Year Suspension from NRL
The athlete won 20 test matches for the All Blacks before switching loyalty to Samoa.
Rugby league's authority has announced that participants who join the “breakaway” R360 will be barred for a decade.
The proposed competition, which plans to launch in 2026, is aiming to attract players from union and league with lucrative deals and a slimmed-down fixture list.
Top NRL athletes have allegedly been contacted by R360, which will feature multiple men's sides and four women's sides operating from major cities globally.
Representing Samoa Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, who plays for his NRL club in the NRL, has stated he has had negotiations involving R360.
Ryan Papenhuyzen, Lomax, Payne Haas and Gray are also said to be weighing up offers from the new competition.
Several leading rugby union countries, such as Australia, recently imposed a prohibition on athletes signing with R360 playing test matches.
“We have consulted our teams and we've acted decisively,” stated Australian Rugby League Commission chairman the official.
“Sadly, there will continually be organizations that seek to pirate our game for economic benefit.
“They don't invest in pathways or the advancement of talent. They only leverage the efforts of others, jeopardizing careers of economic hardship while benefiting financially.
“They are, in reality, copying the game.”
R360 is co-founded by former England World Cup winner Mike Tindall and supported by independent financiers.
Following the prospective rugby union bans were announced recently, it commented: “We seek to cooperate collaboratively as part of the international rugby schedule.
“The series is arranged with tailored timetables for both genders and we will permit participants for global fixtures, as specified in their deals.”
The new league will seek approval for its plans from rugby union's governing body, union's administrative organization, at its council meeting next year.
