Rugby Australia to target top NRL talent

[jolly boys outing]

Well we all know what super league did here to rugby league. Took the game 30 years to recover.

This will affect union globally. It’s not an issue for rugby league really. Union fans are the ones who should be bricking it

I honestly don’t see how this competition can happen and ever get off the ground.

it has to be one of the dumbest ideas ever conceived.

 

[BuffaloRules]

it has to be one of the dumbest ideas ever conceived.

Reminds me of LIV golf … losses up to over US$400m a year now

 

[Wb1234]

Reminds me of LIV golf … losses up to over US$400m a year now

Think liv will work out fine in end for them

Don’t think this will have the same money behind them

Making rugby union work outside test matches is something nobody has really worked out yet properly (French union survives as a billionaires plaything). Most teams are in cities that don’t know the sport exists. Games will be on the middle of the night or poor time slots

Also

NRL news 2025 | The Mole exclusive, Lachlan Galvin and Roger Fabri; Lewis Dodd replacement, Blake Solly comments

BUNNIES MAKE RUGBY RAID TO REPLACE DODD

The Rabbitohs are still copping flak over the disastrous signing of Englishman Lewis Dodd last season, but they could make amends with one of the gains of the year for 2026.


Lewis Dodd sits on the bench against the Sharks. (NRL Photos)
Dynamic young Kiwi back-rower Saumaki Saumaki has come to terms with the club - and New Zealand rugby union isn't happy.

Saumaki, who starred for the strong Crusaders club in the under 20s this year, was tipped as a future All Black but was lured to the Bunnies after the club received glowing reports about him from their Kiwi scouts.

"All the mail we got on him was outstanding and we thought he was worth a go," Souths chief executive Blake Solly told Wide World of Sports.

"He played for New Zealand Schoolboys in rugby and you have to be pretty good to do that."

Saumaki will make the switch from union to rugby league, per sources.

He played for Crusaders U20 this year and was eligible to return for a push for the New Zealand U20s in 2026.

A damaging prospect, he was a member of the Crusaders Rugby Academy in 2025 and is a graduate of the famed Nelson College.

NZRU School Boy. Must have something.

 

[Captain Apollo]

They can't, NRL could be looking at lawsuit in the future.

Whilst this article is behind a paywall, the part visible on the SMH's website indicates the ARLC sought legal advice before this announcement, so I suspect they haven't made the announcement blindly.

NRL announces 10-year ban for players and agents who negotiate with R360

After receiving legal advice, league bosses have vowed to impose heavy sanctions on players and agents who hold talks with the breakaway rugby competition.

www.smh.com.au

Further the ban would apply to its competitions only, so the basis of legal action being successful would, I'd suspect, be on the remote side. Also if the player was off contract, it wou;ld mean they wouldn't be able to come back to RL if they find they aren't suited to it. The big ticket item though is the prospective ban on player agents, which I suspect would be a disincentive to agents negotiating with R360 for players under contracxt to an NRL club (e.g. Zac Lomax's).

 

[shadowformz]

They can't, NRL could be looking at lawsuit in the future.

They can if they're the employer, all NRL clubs are franchises of the NRL, so regardless as to which NRL club a player is signed with, they are all employees of the NRL.

 

[Wb1234]

So why the big song and dance regarding the 10 yr ban (which will never stand up )if it’s “not an issue”

Makes Pvl looks like he’s doing something rather then laying back and thinking about England

But even if we lost 20 players we’ll be fine whilst union globally burns

That’s a good trade off for me

 

[jolly boys outing]

Reminds me of LIV golf … losses up to over US$400m a year now

It’s even worse than LIV golf as at least golfers are individuals who play for themselves while RU is obviously a team sport that at a domestic level represents a city, town or region in countries which people can identify with and support.

does anyone even know what the teams taking part in it are going to represent?

are they going to be teams from cities throughout the world or are they going to be teams like formula 1 representing world brands like red bull and Gatorade etc?

 

[shadowformz]

The case of Hughes v Western Australia Cricket Association Inc (1996) 19 FCR 10 (Hughes)(WACA) is an example of an exclusionary provision being used at the expense of the athlete. In this case, Hughes was banned from playing cricket for any club within Western Australia because of an agreement between the WACA and its member clubs. The agreement excluded all players from competition if they had participated in any cricket matches outside of the commonwealth. In this case it was held that the agreement between the clubs imposed an unreasonable restraint of trade on Hughes and the court ruled that the agreement between the sporting corporations was invalid.

SPORTS LAW - HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED WHY THE NRL DOES NOT HAVE A DRAFT? — Wallace Law Group

If the athletes contract requires the athlete to be subject to a drafting system it can logically be seen that there may be a valid legal argument to assert that the athlete should not be traded and or drafted to a particular club if the athlete feels it is an unreasonable restraint of trade.

www.wallacelawgroup.com.au

So this has been tested before. Good luck PVL. Lawyers would be lining up to take this on.

Now if a player tries to get out of a valid contract. Well that's a different issue.

Actually your last statement isn't entirely correct. The NRL's salary cap is the sticking point here. It artificially prevents a player from earning the maximum money he possibly can and is a breach of fair trade. Each player only has so many years in his playing career and if he can't take advantage of an opportunity to make substantially more money because of a contact that keeps his wages artificially deflated then there's the problem.

 

[BuffaloRules]

Making rugby union work outside test matches is something nobody has really worked out yet properly (French union survives as a billionaires plaything). Most teams are in cities that don’t know the sport exists. Games will be on the middle of the night or poor time slots

I agree that Union doesn’t do the club thing well… although the likes of Fitzsimmons will try to say differently …but that’s why there is a niche there for 360 to exploit and eventually work with existing Union who will run the internationals …

I heard the head of the NZ Rugby players association say that the Home Unions want to work with 360 but want them coming through the “front door”… its actually 360 that doesn’t want to work with them as they consider them dinosaurs …. Maybe they change their mind on that

 

[Wb1234]

I agree that Union doesn’t do the club thing well… although the likes of Fitzsimmons will try to say differently …but that’s why there is a niche there for 360 to exploit and eventually work with existing Union who will run the internationals …

I heard the head of the NZ Rugby players association say that the Home Unions want to work with 360 but want them coming through the “front door”… its actually 360 that doesn’t want to work with them as they consider them dinosaurs …. Maybe they change their mind on that

R360 has said they will release all players for internationals

World unions have said anybody that signs is automatically banned from tests

But yeh union should work with them even if it devalues their club game

They can’t afford to have their international game busted that wants keeps the lights on

 

[Valheru]

The ARLC are coming across as scared TBH and giving undue attention to a concept/competition I'm assured either wont happen or will be unsuccessful.

 

[taste2taste]

It hasn’t been made public where the money is coming from ..as far as I know

what broadcast deal to they have ? How much are they getting ? I thought the plan was to show it for free on streaming sites…

So only one Saudi link then ..; that’s refreshing

PIF distanced themselves months ago from this fiasco saying Union is not in thier top 20 sports to invest in.

The Guardian had an article a few days ago about whon the investors are. Mostly PE from the USA and UK.

No doubt there's big money but it's not LIV Golf big.

SEN radio interviewd the guy who owns an A League and Netball team ( sorry, can't remeber his name but it's on SENs youtube channel) he said he was asked to invest but wasn't impressed enough to part with his money.

R360 will go broke after 1 season. How delusional are they thinking stadiums will be full in non playing union countries to watch this mess.

 

[taste2taste]

The ARLC are coming across as scared TBH and giving undue attention to a concept/competition I'm assured either wont happen or will be unsuccessful.

Are the 8 countries that banned Union players from internationals coming across as scared also ?

 

[taste2taste]

This will affect union globally. It’s not an issue for rugby league really. Union fans are the ones who should be bricking it

This will effect all comps equally. Everyone will take a hit if they lose thier top 50 players.

The only advantage Union has is that R360 will try and work with them. R360 couldn't care less about working the NRL

 

[BuffaloRules]

PIF distanced themselves months ago from this fiasco saying Union is not in thier top 20 sports to invest in.

The Guardian had an article a few days ago about whon the investors are. Mostly PE from the USA and UK.

No doubt there's big money but it's not LIV Golf big.

SEN radio interviewd the guy who owns an A League and Netball team ( sorry, can't remeber his name but it's on SENs youtube channel) he said he was asked to invest but wasn't impressed enough to part with his money.

R360 will go broke after 1 season. How delusional are they thinking stadiums will be full in non playing union countries to watch this mess.

…where are details of the broadcast deal you mentioned ?

 

[taste2taste]

…where are details of the broadcast deal you mentioned ?

They are streaming it for free on YouTube for the first season.

 

[BuffaloRules]

R360 has said they will release all players for internationals

World unions have said anybody that signs is automatically banned from tests

But yeh union should work with them even if it devalues their club game

They can’t afford to have their international game busted that wants keeps the lights on

Yeah ..because situations never change as these things play out … we are still at war with Super League and there are two competitions going

They are streaming it for free on YouTube for the first season.

Not a lot of money in that I would imagine

 

[Valheru]

Are the 8 countries that banned Union players from internationals coming across as scared also ?

Yes

They at least probably have a reason to be.

 

[BuffaloRules]

Are the 8 countries that banned Union players from internationals coming across as scared also ?

According to an interview I heard with the head of the NZ Players association … the 8 countries want to work with 360

 

[kurt faulk]

Actually your last statement isn't entirely correct. The NRL's salary cap is the sticking point here. It artificially prevents a player from earning the maximum money he possibly can and is a breach of fair trade. Each player only has so many years in his playing career and if he can't take advantage of an opportunity to make substantially more money because of a contact that keeps his wages artificially deflated then there's the problem.

The players get a percentage of the nrl's revenue as agreed in the cba. Not a cent more, over the table. This is what they agreed to when they signed. The salary cap is their money. Each team gets the same amount to spend on players.

Nobody is stopping players from earning more. That's why they leave to sign bigger deals with other clubs.

.