R360 pushes back proposed launch for new rugby competition until 2028

LONDON (AP) – R360, a proposed new rugby competition, is pushing back plans to launch its first season until 2028.

The rebel group originally said earlier this year that it wanted to hold its first games in Sept. 2026.

However, in a statement issued Friday R360 said its board and investors have “determined that a full launch in 2028 offers stronger market conditions, greater commercial certainty, and a significantly more favorable environment for players, fans, partners and the broader rugby community.”

R360 is a start-up fronted by former England international Mike Tindall, who is married to Zara Phillips – a niece of King Charles – and is a 2003 World Cup winner.

“The decision to shift our launch to 2028 is a strategic decision based on timing. Launching under compressed timelines would not meet the standards we set for R360,” Tindall said.

Many in rugby see R360 as similar to LIV Golf, which disrupted the establishment in that sport when it was launched in 2022 and offered players large sums of money for a shorter season.

In October, England, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, France, South Africa, New Zealand and Australia announced international bans for any players who join R360.

Financing for the upstart competition is reportedly coming from private investors from the Middle East, the United States and Britain.

Initially, the proposal of R360 was to have teams, both men’s and women’s, based in cities around the world that would host series.