NRL star Roger Tuivasa-Sheck’s agent confirms interests in breakaway concept with chance to double salary

The competition is yet to get off the ground and needs to hit three major triggers to secure the private equity and reported Saudi-Arabian funding to turn it into a reality.

The first trigger is to have the franchises purchased and legally drafted. The second requires the confirmation of a broadcast partner, while the third element of the deal requires competition organisers to secure 200 players. All three targets must be reached by the end of September.

Sources with knowledge of the situation, talking on the condition of anonymity due to confidentiality agreements, said that there were close to 140 players committed to the competition.

While Ponga hasn’t been directly linked to R360, he has engaged New Zealand-based rugby union agent Kent Hale from Halo Sport to explore his options in the 15-man game.

Sharrock said the concept is a threat to the NRL with top-line players expected to earn US$2 million (A$3.1 million) per year.

It’s more than double what Ponga is earning ($1.4 million) in 2025 as the highest-paid player in the NRL.

“I think it’s something the NRL should be worried about with their dual-code players who would be capable of playing both codes at a high level,” he said.

“They’re really looking at rugby players. Roger has appeal because he’s already been a dual-coder. I think there’s some rugby league players that could do it, and Kalyn Ponga is one of them. There’ll be rugby league players who have attraction, but they won’t have the eyes of the greater global rugby market.

“Let’s face it, in France – where there is a huge rugby audience – who’s Kalyn Ponga? He’s known down here, but he’s not known up there. The audience that are buying in are in the United States and Europe. In saying that, he will be a bloody good target. The money is significant.”

While rugby traditionalists and existing bodies and teams are opposed to the idea of the rebel competition, Sharrock has implored the game to rethink its future.

“It’s something rugby should really open its eyes to,” Sharrock said.

“If it does become something real, they need to all get around the table and reimagine what rugby union could look like globally. That’s where I do see, not the threat, but the opportunity. If someone is willing to invest a lot of money into the game to re-energise it and reinvigorate it, I personally would be getting on the back of it and work out how to capitalise on it.”

Former England rugby international Mike Tindall is the public face of R360. Tindall, who is married to British royal family member Zara Phillips, is in Australia to watch the British and Irish Lions tour.

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The R360 concept will follow a hybrid model of Formula 1 and the Indian Premier League, with private owners to invest in franchises around the world.

The players who sign with R360 aren’t signing for specific franchises but rather the competition itself, with the potential for auctions and drafts being floated.

One model being discussed will see a joint Australia and New Zealand-based franchise as well as teams based in the United States, France, England, South America, Asia and South Africa in an eight-team competition that could grow to 12 teams.

Competition organisers want to launch a one-off tournament next season, potentially from July to September, before adopting a regular format in 2027.

The intended format in 2027 will see the competition split into two blocks, with the first half of the tournament played between March and May and the second stage played between September and December. That window is largely in competition with the NRL, which currently runs from March to October.

Warriors CEO Cameron George raised the threat of R360 at last week’s NRL club CEO’s conference and believes the threat it poses to the sport is genuine.

All nine matches of The British & Irish Lions Tour to Australia are live & on demand on Stan Sport, with Wallabies Tests in 4K. All Test matches live and free on Channel 9 & 9Now.