England and other leading rugby unions around the world have told their star players they will not be selected by their countries if they join the R360 rebel league.

New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, Ireland, England, Scotland, France and Italy have all joined a collective move against the breakaway competition.

Around 200 players have agreed pre-contracts for R360’s proposed launch in 2026.

But the RFU, alongside unions from France and New Zealand among others, have come together against it.

It represents a significant blow to R360’s hopes of attracting the game’s best players.

Their statement said: ‘As a group of national rugby unions, we are urging extreme caution for players and support staff considering joining the proposed R360 competition.

England have threatened to ban players from international rugby if they sign up for the new R360 rebel league

Around 200 players have agreed pre-contracts for R360’s proposed launch in 2026 – left: RFU chairman Sir James Wates

‘We all welcome new investment and innovation in rugby and support ideas that can help the game evolve and reach new audiences. But any new competition must strengthen the sport as a whole, not fragment or weaken it.

‘Among our roles as national unions, we must take a wider view on new propositions and assess their impact on a range of areas, including whether they add to rugby’s global ecosystem, for which we are all responsible, or whether they are a net negative to the game.

‘R360 has given us no indication as to how it plans to manage player welfare; how players would fulfil their aspirations of representing their countries, and how the competition would coexist with the international and domestic calendars so painstakingly negotiated in recent years for both our men’s and women’s games.’

Unions intend to block both male and female players who take up the competitions’ big-money contracts, which are coming in around £750,000.

Mike Tindall, former-agent Mark Spoors and former Bath coach Stuart Hooper are behind the move, although the unions claim there has been no effort to collaborate.

The statement added: ‘The R360 model, as outlined publicly, rather appears designed to generate profits and return them to a very small elite, potentially hollowing out the investment that national unions and existing leagues make in community rugby, player development, and participation pathways.

‘International rugby and our major competitions remain the financial and cultural engine that sustains every level of the game — from grassroots participation to elite performance. Undermining that ecosystem could be enormously harmful to the health of our sport.

‘These are all issues that would have been much better discussed collaboratively, but those behind the proposed competition have not engaged with or met all unions to explain and better understand their business and operating model.

Mike Tindall (right), former-agent Mark Spoors and former Bath coach Stuart Hooper are behind the move

New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, Ireland, England, Scotland, France and Italy have all joined a collective

‘Each of the national unions will therefore be advising men’s and women’s players that participation in R360 would make them ineligible for international selection.’

The Welsh Rugby Union, Argentina, Fiji and other tier-two countries were not signatories to the statement.

The WRU said: ‘The Welsh Rugby Union supports this statement and we are considering changes we may need to make to qualification rules in Wales as part of ongoing analysis following our recent consultation process.

‘As we continue to analyse and understand the proposals, we reserve the right not to select men’s and women’s players for international duty if they participate in this competition.’

R360 hit back within an hour of the statement, insisting they are going ahead as planned and will make player welfare a priority. The statement read: It’s not always easy to embrace new opportunities, but as we’ve seen throughout history, it’s essential for any sport to grow.

‘So many players love what R360 can do for them and the game, and we can’t wait to kick-off next year. Player welfare is one of the key reasons for creating our global series, which will greatly reduce player load and capture the attention of a new generation of fans globally.

‘We want to work collaboratively as part of the global rugby calendar. The series is designed with bespoke schedules for men’s and women’s teams and R360 will release all players for international matches, as written into their contracts.

‘Our philosophy is clear – if players want to play for their country, they should have that opportunity. Why would the unions stand in their way? We look forward to submitting to the World Rugby Council for sanctioning next summer as planned.’