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July 18, 2025 • 13 mins

An understanding is emerging about rugby's proposed R360 competition moves to attract leading oval ball players. 

Warrior Roger Tuivasa-Sheck has admitted the approach he's had from organisers could be an option when his contract expires at the end of next year. 

But what is R360? And how will it reshape World Rugby? Tuivasa-Sheck's agent, Bruce Sharrock, joined Piney to discuss what impact the tournament could have going forward. 

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Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Weekend Sport podcast with Jason Vine
from Newstalk ZEDB.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
Coming to your life from the Roaming Giants, and reports
have emerged in recent days that breakaway rugby competition, Rugby
three sixty, is gaining some traction. It's designed to commercialize
rugby for modern audiences and media networks, and proposes a
radical shift in how rugby is structured and sold. It
promises a fresh format built for digital platforms and global broadcasters,

(00:38):
with fast paced matches, city festivals and fan first experiences.
It draws heavily on the IPL and the NFL, city
based franchises, no relegation, salary caps for parity, and a short,
dynamic calendar. The reported model is of twelve franchises visiting
sixteen international venues, and it has reportedly attracted interest from

(01:01):
potential backers across the Premier League, Formula One and the NFL,
with multi bids for franchise slots already under consideration now
back as at targeting the three hundred best players in
the world across the men's and women's games. Dozens of
elite players have reportedly signed heads of agreement. The world's

(01:22):
top forty stars get this, are set to earn more
than two point three million New Zealand dollars per season.
That's the sort of money only a handful of players
can currently command around the globe. And it's not just
Rugby Union players being targeted. Warriors star Roger Tuivasa Schek,
Knights skipper Kayln Ponger and the Storm pair of Ryan

(01:43):
Poppenhausen and Nelson are so for. Solomona have been linked
to deals with Rugby three sixty as well, and players
who join aren't signing for specific franchises, but rather to
the competition itself, with the possibility of auctions and drafts
being floated around. So let's find out a bit more
about it. Leading sports agent Bruce Sharrick is with us.

(02:05):
Here's a list of elite clients includes Roger to I,
Vasishek and many current All Black stars. Bruce, thanks for
joining us on the show this afternoon. How realistic a
concept do you believe Rugby three sixty to be?

Speaker 3 (02:20):
We'll berth again a Jason. Look, if you ahead up
asking me that question six months ago, out of ten,
I probably would have given it a three or four.
What we've continued to see over the six months leading
up to now is a lot of development and a
lot of progress. So you ask me now for remark
from what I know, I've suggest it's probably closer to

(02:41):
an eighth.

Speaker 2 (02:43):
So what's happened in the last six months that's that's
bumped that number up.

Speaker 3 (02:49):
Investment the airs of broadcast partners and are willingness to
really charge on with what they see as a concept
that can I guess throw the product of rugby union
across the globe.

Speaker 2 (03:02):
There's some big numbers being reported. I know you've seen them.
We've all seen them, you know, the likes of over
two million New Zealand dollars per year for some of
the top players.

Speaker 4 (03:12):
Are these numbers real?

Speaker 3 (03:15):
Yes they are, Jason, I can categoriphy tell you there.

Speaker 2 (03:20):
So top players stand to earn over two million New
Zealand dollars per season in rugby three sixty.

Speaker 3 (03:28):
Yes, if they choose to join join the concept. That's
what's been promoted and clearly earlier on where they were
looking for commitments from players, the stakes are a little
bit higher. So like any initiative, you know, they were
raising mistakes to get some early commitments from players and
as you can imagine a lot of players are still

(03:49):
sitting on the fence, so you know that they're working
through their whole process. But the numbers you're talking about,
from what I know, are pretty real.

Speaker 4 (04:01):
Where will this money come from?

Speaker 3 (04:04):
You know, I think we look around the globe at
the moment, there's a real advertise for people to invest
in sporting franchises. We're seeing it in Bricking at the moment,
and I just think there's a colleque. Well, I know
there's a collection of people who are minus shareholders and
things are NBA and if our those sorts of people
are coming together to invest in this context. So that's

(04:26):
my understanding. I mean, one of the things that I
think has been falsely reported Jason is Seldi backing. This
isn't CELDi money. And so the reality is, you know,
there are genuine and legitimate people who are investing in
the growth of rugby union globally.

Speaker 2 (04:39):
All right, So it's basically, I guess very rich people
who want to own a sporting franchise.

Speaker 4 (04:46):
Is that what we're talking about in basic terms?

Speaker 3 (04:49):
Yeah, Look, if I couldn't comment on I don't know
the individual. So I'll put that up front and I
don't know whether or not they're of individual wealth. What
I do know is a collector. There are certainly a
lot of money being put together to pull together these franchises,
which you know, as I understand now, there have been

(05:09):
an agreement on who those owners are.

Speaker 2 (05:12):
Involvement in this competition will presumably mean for a New
Zealand player foregoing the All Blacks. How strong does the
lure of the black jersey continue to be in keeping
our top players here?

Speaker 3 (05:25):
Well, yeah, you've hit on something that is the critical
point here. At the end of the day, this concept
has gone through the front field of World Rugby, World Rugby,
and all of the unions are aware of it, They've
met with them, and they're looking to be sanctioned as
a genuine competition. So I mean, to answer your question,

(05:45):
it is the biggest lead and the reason why a
lot of players haven't committed yet. I mean, clearly we've
got a World Cup in twenty twenty seven and for
those players to effectively put that at risk because we
don't know the position of the national unions and the
participation of players from their country to spect the countries.
So yeah, look, it still has a poll without out

(06:08):
but I think the hope is and you know, Jason,
I think for those old enough, if we go back
to the mid nineties when Kerry Packer tried to come
up with a rebel competition, ironically, the concept is very similar.
What he wanted to do was taking competition global, and
he wanted to take a competition around the world to
elevate the sort of rugby union. Clearly what that triggered

(06:29):
was New Zealan being one of them, but a lot
of unions becoming professional. Who knows what this may trigger
and what it may do to bring you know, I
guess the game together and go, how do we elevate
this game of rugby to be relevant globally for the
next twenty five years.

Speaker 2 (06:45):
So Rugby three sixty, if it becomes sanctioned, then would
presumably run alongside the international program.

Speaker 4 (06:51):
But what about all of the other club programs.

Speaker 2 (06:54):
We talk about Super Rugby, A player surely couldn't play
Super rugby Rugby three sixty and for the All Blacks.

Speaker 3 (07:00):
Correct, And I think that's where the parties need to
sit down and seecure of some middle point here. What
they have done with the calendar that's been promoted is
they're a windows for international rugby. I think for us
here in New Zealand the Rugby Championship would need to
be realigned. But as you know, there are conversations about
trying to align those calendars anyway. And you're right, they

(07:21):
couldn't play three to six the international rugby and the
domestic comp So that's where the pressure point is in
my head at least, And again I don't notice, I'm
just surmising it to someone who's observed the industry over
many many years. Your domestic competition being Super Rugby here
and Premiership and Top fourteen in France, etc. That is

(07:43):
going to be challenged because if you take out of
it twenty thirty forty leading players from those competitions, there's
a real discussion that you had whether or not that
domestic comp is then the premier comp domestically. So look,
I don't have the answer to that. I guess my
role in all of this is to try and understand
how real it is and provide these options to our players,

(08:06):
and clearly Roger is one of those.

Speaker 5 (08:09):
Yeah, as I say, where.

Speaker 3 (08:11):
We're charged with the responsibility of being aware of global
rugby and Wasson and now which was formerly U sportif
are the most connected agency globally and we're very close
to it.

Speaker 5 (08:20):
We understand what's going wrong.

Speaker 4 (08:22):
How should New Zealand Rugby be reacting to this.

Speaker 5 (08:26):
With an open mind?

Speaker 3 (08:28):
In my view, Look, there are a lot of considerations
and look I get it from the New Zealand rank perspective.
You know, the major revenue streams are coming from broadcasts,
They're coming from sponsors and effectively coming.

Speaker 5 (08:42):
From walk up crowds.

Speaker 3 (08:44):
So you know if SkyTV, as an example, saw this
watered down Super Rugby competition and circ one hundred million
turned into fifty million, that's a financial challenge. But is
there a way around us?

Speaker 5 (08:57):
I don't know. I'm surviving. I guess what I'm.

Speaker 3 (08:59):
Motivated by, Jason and excited by is this an opportunity
for us to sit down and see if we engage
a wider global community of rugby fans and really elevates
the game and give it relevant for another quarter.

Speaker 5 (09:14):
Of a decade.

Speaker 4 (09:15):
Do you think it is? Do you think it could be?

Speaker 3 (09:17):
Yeah? I do you know with the right people at
the helm and sitting around, I mean, I think on
the pure commercials of it, there are a group of
people who have or are looking to invest circuit two
fifty odd millions. It's outside investment into this game. They
clearly have a commercial model that they're looking at that
seeds some return on it. Otherwise they wouldn't be doing it.

(09:39):
So you know, there are some very smart people. I
know for a fact that they're resourcing up. They've got
a finance division, they've got a legal division, and they're
building an operations division. Because you've got to move a
rugby circus around the globe rating weeks of the year,
and that is the concept that's going to I guess,
really well known destinations globally and playing a series and

(10:02):
carnival of footy on a Friday of international world class
potentially on Saturday, and rolling into another set of games
on a Sunday, and the fans of those respective cities
would be taking in some high level rugby unions.

Speaker 2 (10:17):
You're doing your job as an agent by presenting these options,
whatever they might excuse me, whatever they might be, to
your clients. What, without being specific about players, what's the
general feedback you're getting when you're presenting the Rugby three
sixty concept.

Speaker 3 (10:35):
Yeah, look, eyes wide open. As the first reaction. However,
you know, again it's our role. If someone holds an
inspiration to play international rugby, then enter with extreme caution
because at this stage you do not want to put
that at roots. So many of our current internationals are
aware of the competition, but you know it's not the
thing for them at this stage.

Speaker 5 (10:55):
It really isn't. But there are many other players both
not only here in New Zealand.

Speaker 3 (10:59):
But expats playing in Japan, playing in France, playing in
the UK that could be coming off contractor in twenty
six or twenty seven and say, hey, there's another confidence,
another option.

Speaker 5 (11:10):
Should we be looking at it?

Speaker 3 (11:12):
So you know, that's our role, as you say, to
put it in front of them and to give them choice.
And the way that I see it, I guess is
that it's another international competition that players who want, they
feel they may have exhausted their domestic opportunity can look
further afield and maybe engage in it.

Speaker 2 (11:30):
When the IPL came and it was only the IPL,
if we use a cricket analogy, now there are any
number of franchise leagues around the world. Bruce, can you
ever see a time when rugby becomes a bit like
cricket with more than one option of this type available
to players.

Speaker 3 (11:48):
Yeah, look, I guess I can. And that's this sort
of individual I am. You know, I don't like sitting
spell and who knows, it'll be a bit beyond lie
time in the game. But you know, if we're going
to maintain relevance, we have to move with what the
world is doing, and maybe cricket is a model. Let
me look at you know, there are certain things within

(12:09):
Rugby that you know, I treat you like everybody else,
and it's the heritage, it's the past, it's the tradition.
To me, you hang on to those the best you can,
but you can't live in the past and you have
to come forward in some way, shape or form to
maintain relevance.

Speaker 5 (12:23):
With a new audience.

Speaker 3 (12:25):
I mean, the people consuming a product today are totally
different to what they're were when you and I were
watching past.

Speaker 4 (12:30):
And so really, well, so Rugby three sixty is not
a fairy tale.

Speaker 3 (12:36):
I don't think so, as I say, I would market
an eight out of ten given what I know, we're
going to know within the next two or three months
whether or not this is the reality, and so you
know that it's something that needs to be considered in
certain exits about a broad level and around the place.
Because you know, and I said this the other night.

Speaker 5 (12:58):
Hidden the stand for me is not a strategy.

Speaker 3 (13:00):
The things are happening around you. I'd rather be part
of a change and not.

Speaker 5 (13:04):
Told what to do as a result of a change.

Speaker 3 (13:06):
So, you know, engage further, find out what's going on,
find out if there is some middle ground, and we
can turn rugby and we all come together with the
United interests here that is to make rugby a very
very relevant sports globally. And if we can do that
on the back of private and new investment, why wouldn't.

Speaker 2 (13:25):
You terrific insight and hugely interesting comments from you, as always, Bruce,
our audience will have a lot to say. I'm sure
thanks for joining us this afternoon, Mate.

Speaker 3 (13:34):
Thanks so much, and go to the All Black suceeding Yeah.

Speaker 2 (13:37):
Go the All Blacks. Indeed, thanks Bruce, Bruce Sharik. They're
one of our leading sports agents with some very very
interesting thoughts. Indeed.

Speaker 1 (13:46):
For more from Weekend Sport with Jason Faine, listen live
to News Talk sed B weekends from midday or follow
the podcast on iHeartRadio.
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