With the approval of the Rebel League, up to ten NRL players will join R360.
After a dissident league was approved, the NRL received a bombshell in the final week: up to ten players are expected to leave.
Following the announcement that the rebel rugby union tournament R360 has been approved to proceed next year, up to ten NRL players are planning to boycott rugby league. R360 had been the subject of rumors for a large portion of this year, but Code Sports claims that it is now official and that the competition will begin on October 2, 2026, when organizers have obtained the necessary players and financing.
NRL player agents are now being contacted by R360 organizers. As R360 locks in players for its first season, player agents have received official contracts. Reports from Code Sports Up to ten NRL players, including Rabbitohs fullback Jye Gray, Parramatta Eels winger Zac Lomax, and Melbourne Storm standout Ryan Papenhuyzen, are rumored to have committed to the league. R360, which was founded by former England rugby player Mike Tindall, is offering NRL players enticing contracts, with some finding the money simply too tempting to turn down.
Given that his contract expires at the end of the upcoming season, it is generally anticipated that New Zealand Warriors legend Roger Tuivasa-Sheck will join R360. Melbourne Storm Hardman Both Nelson Asofa-Solomona and Will Kennedy, a fullback for the Cronulla Sharks, have been in negotiations to join R360; however, organizers showed no interest in Kennedy.