Mike Tindall’s ambitious rebel rugby venture now faces a major challenge as some of the sport’s major organisations have dealt a crushing verdict on the fledgling competition.
The former England international, who is married to King Charles III’s niece Zara Tindall, is spearheading the breakaway R360 league that he believes will transform rugby.
Following the announcement of plans to launch the competition next year, the Rugby Football Union (RFU) are poised to announce that male players who sign contracts with R360 will be barred from playing for England.
In addition, the governing body is also believed to be working with northern and southern hemisphere unions to expand a ban across international rugby.
Mike Tindall’s fledgling breaking rugby league has been hit with new major setbacks
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While the RFU’s stance on female players remains unclear, the organisation is said to be “adamant” that male players who sign up to R360 be excluded, per The Guardian.
In another blow, the International Rugby Players Association (IRPA), which represents top players in the northern and southern hemispheres, has declined to support R360.
The IRPA also said that references to the union within R360 contracts lack proper authorisation.
They laid out these objections in a leaked statement to players seen by The Telegraph.
Mike’s R360 league has been rejected by both the Rugby Football Union and International Rugby Players Association
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“Various information has been in the public domain about the proposed R360 competition and we understand that more recently, a proposed draft long-form player contract may have been circulated by R360 to players and/or player agents,” the statement began.
“Whilst IRPA and IRPA members have had some discussions with R360 representatives, these conversations have been focused on fact finding to understand the substantive detail about the business model, the competition, its delivery and its interplay with the existing ecosystem.
“Detailed information about the competition remains outstanding and the competition does not currently have World Rugby regulatory approval,” it continued.
“IRPA wishes to confirm that the competition and any associated player contracts are not endorsed by IRPA or IRPA members, and references to IRPA within any contract do not have IRPA permission.
The RFU is believed to be poised to ban players signing up to R360 from playing for England
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“We have made this point clear in our more recent correspondence with R360,” the leaked document concluded.
The latest developments will come as a substantial setback for the Mike’s new project, which had been actively recruiting top-tier players from across the rugby world.
More than 200 players are believed to have already expressed interest, with contracts worth up to £740,000 a season.
Known as R360, the proposed competition is billed as a franchise league that would “deliver generational change” in rugby.
Mike is leading the breakaway league with former Bath director of rugby Stuart Hooper, sports marketing executive Mark Spoors and lawyer John Loffhagen, who previously worked on LIV Golf.
Mike hopes his new project will attract a ‘younger market’ to rugby
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Last week, it was announced that R360 had secured sufficient funding from private equity firms to launch a competition in October 2027.
Despite the recent setbacks from the RFU and IRPA and continued lack of approval from World Rugby, the truncated competition is set to go ahead as planned.
Mike explained the motivation behind the project: “Rugby is feeling the fallout of the last few years with financial mismanagement, declining investment in the club game and a product that is struggling to evolve.
“Rugby’s lack of innovation and ability to change risks losing its appeal to new audiences and its younger market.”