R360 League Recruits Hit With Decade-Long Suspension from National Rugby League
Roger Tuivasa-Sheck gained 20 test matches for the Kiwis before changing loyalty to Samoa.
Australian rugby league's authority has announced that players who enter the “breakaway” R360 will be banned for 10 years.
R360, scheduled to begin in 2026, is aiming to attract rugby union and rugby league players with substantial agreements and a condensed game calendar.
Leading rugby league athletes have reportedly received offers by the breakaway group, which will involve six or eight men's teams and four women's teams based in large metropolitan areas worldwide.
Samoa's Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, who is with New Zealand Warriors in the competition, has said he has had discussions with the breakaway league.
Ryan Papenhuyzen, Zac Lomax, Payne Haas and Gray are also said to be weighing up offers from the rebel league.
Several leading union countries, among them Australia, recently declared a ban on R360 recruits playing test matches.
“We have consulted our clubs and we've acted decisively,” commented Australian Rugby League Commission head the official.
“Unfortunately, there will always be groups that try to exploit our game for monetary profit.
“They avoid funding in pathways or the advancement of players. They only leverage the efforts of others, endangering athletes of financial loss while gaining personally.
“In truth, they represent, copying the game.”
The league is established by ex-England star Mike Tindall and funded by private investors.
Subsequent to the prospective union bans were declared earlier, it stated: “We aim to collaborate collaboratively as integrated into the global rugby calendar.
“The event is arranged with tailored timetables for male and female sides and R360 will permit participants for global fixtures, as included in their deals.”
The breakaway group will request authorization for its initiatives from World Rugby, rugby union's regulatory group, at its official gathering next year.
