Prominent rugby unions, including England, have informed key players that they will not be chosen to represent their countries if they decide to join the R360 uprising league.

Nations such as New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, Ireland, England, Scotland, France, and Italy have collectively taken a stand against this new league.

Around 200 players have agreed pre-contracts for R360’s proposed launch in 2026.

But the RFU, alongside unions from France and New Zealand among others, have come together against it.

It represents a significant blow to R360’s hopes of attracting the game’s best players.

Their official statement advises players and support staff to be highly cautious about joining the planned R360 competition.

They acknowledged the importance of new investments and innovation in the sport and the potential to expand its audience but emphasized that any new league should bolster, rather than divide or weaken, the sport.

The unions stressed their responsibility to evaluate new ventures from a broad perspective, considering their influence on rugby’s global ecosystem, and determining if they contribute positively or negatively to the sport.

They noted that R360 has yet to explain how it intends to address key issues like player welfare, the players’ dreams of participating for their countries, and how the league would fit alongside the carefully organized international and domestic schedules for both men’s and women’s rugby.

Unions intend to block both male and female players who take up the competitions’ big-money contracts, which are coming in around £750,000.

Mike Tindall, former-agent Mark Spoors and former Bath coach Stuart Hooper are behind the move, although the unions claim there has been no effort to collaborate.

The statement added: ‘The R360 model, as outlined publicly, rather appears designed to generate profits and return them to a very small elite, potentially hollowing out the investment that national unions and existing leagues make in community rugby, player development, and participation pathways.

‘International rugby and our major competitions remain the financial and cultural engine that sustains every level of the game — from grassroots participation to elite performance. Undermining that ecosystem could be enormously harmful to the health of our sport.

‘These are all issues that would have been much better discussed collaboratively, but those behind the proposed competition have not engaged with or met all unions to explain and better understand their business and operating model.

‘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.’

The Welsh Rugby Union, Argentina, Fiji and other tier-two countries were not signatories to the statement.

The WRU said: ‘The Welsh Rugby Union supports this statement and we are considering changes we may need to make to qualification rules in Wales as part of ongoing analysis following our recent consultation process.

‘As we continue to analyse and understand the proposals, we reserve the right not to select men’s and women’s players for international duty if they participate in this competition.’

R360 hit back within an hour of the statement, insisting they are going ahead as planned and will make player welfare a priority. The statement read: It’s not always easy to embrace new opportunities, but as we’ve seen throughout history, it’s essential for any sport to grow.

‘So many players love what R360 can do for them and the game, and we can’t wait to kick-off next year. Player welfare is one of the key reasons for creating our global series, which will greatly reduce player load and capture the attention of a new generation of fans globally.

‘We want to work collaboratively as part of the global rugby calendar. The series is designed with bespoke schedules for men’s and women’s teams and R360 will release all players for international matches, as written into their contracts.

‘Our philosophy is clear – if players want to play for their country, they should have that opportunity. Why would the unions stand in their way? We look forward to submitting to the World Rugby Council for sanctioning next summer as planned.’