SARU to ban Boks should they join rebel R360 league

NEWS: The national rugby unions of New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, Ireland, England, Scotland, France and Italy released a joint statement regarding the controversial R360 competition.

They have made a decision to ban all players from international selection should they join the rebel league.

The proposed R360 league, which has been dubbed a breakaway rebel tournament set to launch in 2026, received a massive pushback from the above-mentioned rugby nations.

There’s been rumoured that several Test internationals have joined the league, including Springboks, but no names have been confirmed.

The competition would consist of eight men’s and four women’s teams played in a Grand Prix format around the world.

One of the big concerns of the league is player welfare.

World Rugby recently released new player welfare guidelines, which include that no player should play more than 30 matches per calendar year.

The joint statement echoed these concerns and the impact it might have on an already congested rugby calendar.

“As a group of national rugby unions, we are urging extreme caution for players and support staff considering joining the proposed R360 competition.

“We all welcome new investment and innovation in rugby, and support ideas that can help the game evolve and reach new audiences.

“But any new competition must strengthen the sport as a whole, not fragment or weaken it.

“Among our roles as national unions, we must take a wider view on new propositions and assess their impact on a range of areas.

“Including whether they add to rugby’s global ecosystem, for which we are all responsible, or whether they are a net negative to the game.

“R360 has given us no indication as to how it plans to manage player welfare; how players would fulfil their aspirations of representing their countries, and how the competition would coexist with the international and domestic calendars so painstakingly negotiated in recent years for both our men’s and women’s games.

There was also a stern ultimatum set in the statement for any player joining the league regarding their Test ambitions.

“Each of the national unions will therefore be advising men’s and women’s players that participation in R360 would make them ineligible for international selection.”