Schmidt, DT Wallabies, doubts Rebel League R360: Is it a threat to rugby?

Joe Schmidt Analyzes the New R360 Rugby Competition

Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt has likened the R360 rugby competition proposal to cricket’s IPL, while expressing doubts about its viability. The ambitious plans for this independent rugby league include teams based in London, Miami, Tokyo, Dubai, Boston, Cape Town, Lisbon, and Madrid, with a planned start date of October 2026. Each round of the competition would be held in a different city, similar to the Rugby Sevens circuit. Contracts of up to $1.4 million per season will be offered, and players will participate in a draw to determine where they will play. According to reports, several current Wallabies players and NRL stars have already been contacted. Rugby Australia is preparing to ban test players who decide to participate in the competition, which could cause a great stir ahead of the 2027 World Cup. The independent competitor claims to have secured financial backing for three years. Schmidt, who considers himself a traditionalist, has mixed feelings about the proposed new competition.

I think with a concept like 360, one tends to move away from the roots of the game.

Joe Schmidt

The coach added: “That’s where I was, practically immersed, in the roots of the game when I was a kid. So it’s a bit strange, but I guess it’s a bit similar to the IPL, isn’t it?, which transformed cricket to some extent. I have to say that I really enjoy watching the Big Bash. I think it’s a very good concept. At the same time, you know the long-term traditions of cricket, like five-day cricket, or matches that are played over three or four days. I still see appeal in them. So, if the balance can be maintained… I’m just not sure about a lot of it and how it will really be, it’s hard to predict.”

Wallabies prop Allan Alaalatoa commented that he hasn’t delved much into the new competition.

I wouldn’t know much about that, because I haven’t been contacted. From a player’s perspective, many of us have signed up to the home World Cup in 2027. So, as players, we just focus on the next moment, and we focus on giving everything we have to the state union and now, most importantly, to the Wallabies.

Allan Alaalatoa

T20 cricket and competitions like the IPL helped attract a new generation of sports fans. Schmidt believes that rugby is already doing a good job of attracting children to the game. “We had a full stadium at Allianz, and there were a lot of kids. And I’ve received incredible letters from kids saying how proud they are to support the Wallabies and things like that. I still think there’s a connection there, and it’s our responsibility to keep cultivating that connection.”