Ikitau Rejects R360: Prioritizes 2027 World Cup with Wallabies

Len Ikitau Prioritizes World Cup Over R360 Competition

Wallabies center Len Ikitau has revealed his decision not to join the R360 competition, a rebel league, if this implies being excluded from the possibility of playing in the 2027 World Cup. Ikitau, 27 years old, admitted to having been contacted by R360 to be part of the competition, whose organization expects to begin in October of next year. However, he expressed his reluctance to participate, as it could cost him a place on the national team.

Being able to play in a Rugby World Cup, but in Australia, I don’t think that opportunity will come again.

Len Ikitau

Rugby Australia, along with other major rugby unions such as New Zealand, England, Ireland, and France, announced that it would ban players from participating in international matches if they chose to join the breakaway league. The competition aims to have 12 franchises worldwide, including eight men’s and four women’s teams. The matches would be played in a traveling format, similar to Formula 1, with plans to organize events in Miami, London, and Tokyo.

The organizers claim to have the signatures of up to 200 international players and have set their sights on many players within Australia, including prominent rugby league stars such as Reece Walsh, Nathan Cleary, and Payne Haas.

It looks like it’s going to be an exciting competition.

Len Ikitau

Ikitau added that, when weighing the options, participation in the World Cup is a priority. Currently, he is focused on his time at Exeter and his return to the Brumbies next year. Recently, Ikitau joined Exeter on a one-year contract, following the Rugby Championship, where Australia finished in third place with two wins in six matches. The player joins English center Henry Slade and winger Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, as the team looks to recover from a penultimate place in the Premiership last season. Speaking on Stan Sport’s Between Two Posts podcast earlier this week, the center revealed that he would not be available for the Wallabies’ first two end-of-year test matches against Japan on October 25 (AEDT) and England on November 2 (AEDT), but that he hoped to be available for the clash against Italy on November 9 (AEDT). Ikitau also revealed that he had a conversation with coach Joe Schmidt, who advised him to take the week off to be available for the match against Italy. The player concluded by mentioning that, despite the disappointment of the last two Rugby Championship matches, the team is moving in the right direction.