Rob Nichol: NZ Rugby Players Association CEO on the new R360 rugby competition

New Zealand Rugby Players Association boss Rob Nichol admits their members have been approached to join a new global breakaway club competition. 

R360 —backed by former England international Mike Tindall— is set to launch in 2026. 

The league plans to mirror the likes of sevens and F1, moving from port to port with events at major cities and stadia around the globe. 

Nichol told Mike Hosking they've been across the proposal since last year. 

He says that from a player perspective, it’s about waiting and seeing as competitions like this have to get through some pretty strong headwinds to succeed.  

Nichol says one of R360's proposed calendar blocks from April to June is likely to face strong opposition from the sport's global governors. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Yeah, more rugby might be coming our way. There's ninety
called R three sixty. It's a grown pre styled competition
involving twelve franchises from around the world. You compete in
sixteen different global then you're sort of an F one
style event. Anyway, Rob Nicholers with the Players Association, is
back with us. Rob morning, Good morning, Mike. How real
is this?

Speaker 2 (00:17):
Ah, that's a really good question. I mean, it's not
the first time these things have come along, and it's
not going to be the last. But they've been working
on it for a couple of years. We've been across
it for a year or so, and they've got some
good people in terms of rugby people, if you like,
who know the landscape behind it, and they seem to
or have said, they've got a lot of investment behind them.
But they've got a three the needle here, Mike. It's

(00:39):
not straightforward to start up global running competition in the
face of the ones that already exist.

Speaker 1 (00:43):
I'm reading in Australia yesterday, offers have already been made.
Have they been made here? Do you know?

Speaker 2 (00:48):
Yeah? All our agents and players are aware of of
this league and have been for a while. And the
league has certainly reached out to ourselves New Zealand Rugby
and all our sins are countries in the Northern Hemisphere
leagues and they've put some offers on the table. But
to be fair from a New Zealand player perspective, it
so it's about wait and see. We've been through this

(01:10):
in other sports. We've been through it in rugby before,
we've been through it and cracket with the IPL and
the likes and yeah, these things they do pop up,
but they've got to get through some pretty strong headwinds
to really find that window. And this particular competition, as
an example, is saying that the first three months will
be between April and June. Well, that's straight in the
face of the French Top fourteen finals, the Heineken Cup finals,

(01:33):
the English Premiership final, United Rugby Final series, Super Rugby
Final series, and I suspect every country associated with those
competitions is going to go, hey, hang on a sec.
You can't come along and just buy all our top
players and then expect us to be happy with them
playing international rugby. So the real head wins.

Speaker 1 (01:49):
Again, there's too much rugby full stop, isn't there.

Speaker 2 (01:53):
Well, I have to say in the Southern hemisphere with
super rugby only been the eighteen to nineteen weeks and
then the international season, and our top players tracing those
prospects thirty max games per year twenty five twenty six,
sort of average. We're not too bad. But you go
to that northern hemisphere and it is out of control.

(02:13):
It's you know, there's players up there still playing a
hell lot of rugby. They'll come away play international rugby,
go straight back into club rugby six weeks at of offseason.
There is way too much rugby. But I think what
these guys are saying is, you know what, We've got
some serious capital behind us. We've been involved in rugby
for a long time. There is way too much rugby.

(02:35):
You're not producing what the fans really want and potentially
what some players want. If we can come along and
grab the talent we can take advantage of if you like,
the disorganization of rugby or an industry that might be struggling.
And that's what private capital does is they look at
an opportunity. Sport is always going to be a conduit
to people, so they want to have the best talent

(02:55):
and they want to connect with people just like you've
seen in Formula one, in golf, et cetera, et cetera,
And that's what these people are doing. They're looking and
they're saying, you know what, Rugby is not organized. It's
really messy. If we're coming over the top with a
whole lot of money, grab all the talent we can
steal the show, connect with the people and create a
really big business out of it. So you know, the
game needs to play attention to it and look at

(03:16):
itself and say, you know, how do we make sure
we're organized and don't provide this opportunity because there will
come a point where frustration Baill was over, particularly in
the Northern hemisphere, and the talent.

Speaker 1 (03:26):
Walks super interesting. We'll see where it. Guys. Appreciate your
time as always, Rob Nicol, New Zealand Players Association.

Speaker 2 (03:33):
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