Rugby’s controversial franchise league, R360, was initially scheduled to launch in October 2026. It has recently been pushed back to 2028, however, in a move that has raised serious doubts over whether it is ever going to happen. Board member Mike Tindall called the decision to delay a strategic one, but others say this is a sign of panic for an idea that is doomed to fail.
In our view, the setback is a hammer blow for a concept that was already looking increasingly doubtful. At this stage, it is hard to see how R360 can turn itself into a success story.
An Overview of R360
R360 is a planned global franchise rugby union competition that aims to revolutionise the sport. The idea involves eight men’s teams and four women’s teams competing in a grand prix-style, worldwide series. Teams, or rather franchises, would be created for the competition and based in major cities across the globe, but registered with the UAE rugby federation. Players will be allocated to each franchise via a draft system, and players will own their own IP, rather than it being team-owned.
Why R360?
The idea of bringing 16 new events to the rugby calendar across April to June and August to September is to help bring new audiences to rugby. The sport has suffered dwindling attendances in recent years, and several major clubs have gone bankrupt. As a result, investment in the sport is welcome, but just not in the form of R360, which has proved unpopular among rugby’s existing fan base.
Reasons Why R360 Is Probably a Lost Cause
Here are the main reasons why the most likely scenario is that R360 will never happen.
International Bans
Many big rugby nations have been extremely clear that they oppose R360. So much so, in fact, that eight of them have declared that any player who plays in R360 will be banned from representing their country. The nations that have introduced the ban are England, Ireland, France, Scotland, Italy, New Zealand, South Africa, and Australia. The British and Irish Lions have also joined in, making this a hugely significant ban for many top players.
Given that R360 relies on attracting top players, this poses a major problem. Many of the best players represent these big Test nations, and many promising young stars will hope to do so in future. Given a choice between country representation and R360, many players will choose the former. Even in rugby league, the NRL announced a 10-year competition ban on any player joining R360, making it a risky switch should R360 be short-lived.
Could countries and the NRL soften their stance over time? While possible, it seems unlikely given their concerns mainly revolve around rugby’s already busy schedule, damage to the grassroots game and a lack of constructive dialogue. Had the R360 board been in regular conversation with unions about the idea, such bans could have been avoided, but relationships seem too soured at this point for a U-turn.
Funding
Breakaway competitions like this come at a huge expense. To draw players in, given the criticisms and international bans, big salaries have been offered. Sale Sharks director of rugby Alex Sanderson claimed that players are being offered base salaries a third more than they would get in the Premiership. There would also be additional financial gain from players being able to cash in on all marketing revenue themselves, as they would own their IP. For the very top players, contracts worth as much as £750,000 have reportedly been offered.
These salaries have proven large enough to attract a significant number of players, at least in principle. R360 insists it has signed up around 200 players on provisional agreements and that only a minority dropped out following news of the international bans. Given the big salaries offered, it is believable that they do have more than 200 players signed up. Getting players in is one thing; being able to pay them is another.
A fundamental flaw with R360 is that it is difficult to see how it turns a profit. They are paying players inflated wages to play in several areas where rugby has a relatively small following. Some of the proposed franchise locations include Lisbon, Madrid, Barcelona, New York, Miami, and Dubai. Now, rugby is a growing sport in places like the USA and Spain, but it is far from capturing massive mainstream appeal and attention like football or Formula 1.
This difficulty in recording a profit is a problem because the entire concept is financed by private investment from the US, the UK, and Saudi Arabia, but Saudi Arabia’s Private Investment Fund is not involved. PIF has been more than happy to lose huge sums of money on breakaway sporting events (see LIV golf), but R360 investors are involved to see a profit. This is not a loss-making sportswashing exercise.
Fan Boycott
R360 aims to generate revenues, to cover its huge costs, through ticket sales and arranging big deals for broadcasting rights. Both of these tasks are made considerably harder when many existing rugby fans are so against the idea. A significant number of rugby supporters do not want R360 to become a reality and will not engage with it in any way. This means not watching on TV, not watching in person, and not buying any related merchandise.
Franchise Concept Is a Risk
Currently, many rugby fans support their local team or an area with which they have some sort of connection (e.g. a parent supports them). They appreciate the history of the club, the rivalries and the sense of identity it provides. It is hard to see how creating some brand new teams out of nowhere, featuring players with no connection to said teams, will really resonate with fans.
Given that many of the franchises are based in countries where rugby is not one of the leading sports, how many fans would a new club in Lisbon really attract? Some may point out that creating new teams in a draft system worked for the Indian Premier League (cricket). It is true that the 2007-founded IPL has been a huge success, but that exists entirely in a cricket-mad country and fits better in the existing schedule.
Club World Cup
Rugby’s Club World Cup launches in 2028, meaning it is extremely challenging to see how there would be room for both this and R360 in the same year. The green-lit Club World Cup is only scheduled every four years, but this is still enough to disrupt the already delayed R360 start date. Who knows if the CWC will turn out to be a success, but it is a significant addition to the calendar as it will bring together the best domestic teams from both hemispheres. If it proves to be a high-profile event capable of attracting large crowds, it could further limit the space and appetite for a rival global competition.