Omar Hassanein: International Rugby Players' Association CEO on players signing with R360 being ineligible for international rugby

Could R360 take legal action against the eight unions who will deem any player that signs with the Saudi-backed league as ineligible for international rugby? 

New Zealand, England, Ireland, France, Scotland, Australia, South Africa, and Italy have joined forces against the competition, which is set to launch next year. 

While NZR has a policy to avoid selecting overseas-based players, other countries regularly pick from outside their domestic competitions. 

International Rugby Players' Association boss Omar Hassanein told Mike Hosking this precedent is likely to be explored by R360's lawyers. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
So at last rugby the rugby world has decided to
take the R three sixties seriously. Most of the world
rugby unions have signed this collective agreement that would see
them banning players who'd defect.

Speaker 2 (00:08):
Now.

Speaker 1 (00:09):
Oma Hasanain is the chief executive of the International Players
Association and with US, Argentina and Fiji are missing in
this combination. Is that a problem?

Speaker 2 (00:18):
Yeah, I don't know of it is. I think I
think there's conversations being had amongst all the TI one nations.
Argentina and Fiji perhaps have their own reasons that perhaps
don't have the same level as depth, so they're not
committing to a statement that advises men's and women's players,
not that those participating would be ineligible for international selection.

(00:42):
It's hard to say, but certainly eight of the top
nations have come out and made that statement publicly.

Speaker 1 (00:48):
This is just a preemptive move. Or have you heard
of enough players who might bail that you've started to worry?

Speaker 2 (00:55):
Oh, look, we get anecdotal information coming through from different
different groups amongst our membership around the world. It's hard
to say, but look, I think the competition will likely
go ahead. I guess it's just depending on the quality
of players, and you know this position at the national
unions and our taking and how that might affect decisions

(01:16):
amongst players.

Speaker 1 (01:17):
How legally does it work with players who get sabbaticals
currently to go to places like Japan then come back
and represent their country. How have you set that precedent?
But you can sit another president with this competition.

Speaker 2 (01:30):
Yeah, that's an interesting one. Look, I think you know,
we work in the international space and generally managing international issues.
I suppose that what you described there is the space
of local countries, local national unions and in negotiation with
their players associations and whatnot. New Zealand the SAMs, you know,

(01:52):
might have a different policy to Australia, which might have
a different policy to South Africa as to how they
as to how they do that, and a lot of
that depends on the depth that they have of talent
to be able to keep super rugby teams going but
also keep the best players in the country available for
selection for the country.

Speaker 1 (02:09):
The legals of that are interesting though, aren't they. If
I was a lawyer, I'd be wanting to explore that
in a court or two.

Speaker 2 (02:13):
I reckon they are they are probably not best for
me to comment on that at the moment, but yeah,
I'd say that that's an interesting conversation.

Speaker 1 (02:21):
Good on, You're nice to talk to. You appreciate it
very much. Oma Hasna, who's the cheap executive of the
International Players Association. He's in Australia this morning, so he's
up early for US at five point fifteen. So that
will be a Simon Watts Award for the WIG.

Speaker 2 (02:33):
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