The rugby world has given its strongest condemnation yet of the rebel R360 league with Australia joining other major nations in telling players that signing up would make them ineligible for international selection.
Fronted by former England star Mike Tindall, R360 is scheduled to shake up the establishment and kick off on October 2 next year.
Organisers are planning for six men's teams and four women's with franchises based in London, Miami, Tokyo, Dubai, Boston, Cape Town, Lisbon and Madrid.
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And the competition has been waving large wads of cash under the noses of some of the planet's biggest stars – in both rugby and NRL.
Rugby Australia responded by issuing a strongly worded – and rare – joint statement on Wednesday, along with the national bodies of New Zealand, South Africa, Ireland, England, Scotland, France and Italy.
The unions say that R360 has given them no indication as to how it plans to manage player welfare, how players would fulfil their aspirations of representing their countries, or how the competition would coexist with the international and domestic calendars.
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They also say that the R360 model appears designed to generate profits and return them to a very small elite, and those behind the proposed competition have not engaged with all unions to explain their business and operating model.
"As a group of national rugby unions, we are urging extreme caution for players and support staff considering joining the proposed R360 competition," it read.
"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.
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"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.
"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.
"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."
R360 responded to the unions' statement, saying it wanted to work collaboratively as part of the global rugby calendar.
It added that player welfare was one of the key reasons for creating the global series, which it said would greatly reduce player load and capture the attention of a new generation of fans globally.
"It's not always easy to embrace new opportunities, but as we've seen throughout history, it's essential for any sport to grow," a statement said.
"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?"
The league hopes to establish eight men's teams and four women's teams who will compete in a condensed season format in grand prix-style events around the world.
The International Rugby Players Association has also told their members to be cautious about R360.
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They urged them to speak to their players association, to the IRPA or a legal advisor before signing any contract with the new league.
"Detailed information about the competition remains outstanding," the IRPA said in a statement.
"And the competition does not currently have World Rugby regulatory approval." – with Reuters
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