Joe Schmidt Analyzes the New R360 Rugby Competition
Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt has compared the R360 rugby competition proposal to cricket’s IPL, although he expresses doubts about its success.
This ambitious rugby competition plans to establish teams in London, Miami, Tokyo, Dubai, Boston, Cape Town, Lisbon, and Madrid, with the start scheduled for October 2026.
Each round of the competition will 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 enter a draft 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 players who decide to participate in the competition, which could cause a great stir ahead of the 2027 World Cup.
The new competition ensures it has financial backing for three years.
Schmidt, who considers himself a traditionalist, has mixed feelings about the new proposal.
“I think with a concept like 360, one tends to move away from the roots of the game,” Schmidt commented.
Joe Schmidt
Joe Schmidt, entrenador de Australia.Schmidt added: “I was very rooted in the roots of the game when I was a kid. It’s a bit alien, but I guess it’s a bit like the IPL, which transformed cricket. I really like watching the Big Bash, I think it’s a very good concept. At the same time, I still see appeal in the long-term traditions of cricket, like five-day cricket, or games that last three or four days. I’m not sure about all this and how it will really be, it’s hard to predict.”
Wallabies prop Allan Alaalatoa said he hasn’t delved too deeply into the new competition.
“I don’t know much about that, because I haven’t been contacted,” Alaalatoa said. “From a player’s perspective, many of us have signed up until the 2027 World Cup. As players, we are focused on the next moment and giving our all for the state team and, now, most importantly, for the Wallabies.”
T20 cricket and competitions like the IPL helped attract a new generation of sports fans.
Schmidt believes 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,” Schmidt said, referring to the Wallabies’ recent match against Argentina in Sydney. “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, and it’s our responsibility to keep cultivating that connection.”
