Mike Tindall says R360 'very much game on' for 2026 as nearly 200 players sign pre-contracts

Mike Tindall says it is "very much game on" for R360, the breakaway rugby competition he is helping to create, and told players the league is targeting a 2026 launch after organisers said nearly 200 players had signed pre-contract agreements.

Tindall, a member of England's 2003 World Cup-winning side, and partners — agents Mark Spoors and Leigh Hinton and former Bath lock Stuart Hooper — outlined plans for an eight-franchise tournament that would stage matches around the world and aim to grow the sport by combining sporting entertainment with a condensed schedule.

In a video message seen by Daily Mail Sport and sent to players who have agreed initial terms, Tindall said R360's vision remained unchanged and that organisers were "on plan" in areas including recruitment and commercial partnerships. "We are very much game on for season 2026," he said. "Our vision hasn't changed since day one — to change the game for you (players), the fans and for the good of the game."

R360 has told World Rugby that it wants to operate alongside international Test matches and says it can help bridge what it described as a gap between the roughly 800 million people who follow the international game and the 24 million who follow the club game. Organisers have provided more than 100 pages of material to World Rugby and said they will submit further detail ahead of the governing body's next council meeting.

Organisers say close to 200 players worldwide have signed pre-contracts to join R360 from 2026. The competition has reportedly offered contracts of up to £750,000 and is pitching a calendar with fewer fixtures than a traditional domestic club season as part of its attraction to players.

The league has approached a range of players, including some who toured with the British & Irish Lions this summer, and is understood to have targeted both established internationals and younger stars whose club contracts expire at the end of the 2025–26 season. England players named as having expiring deals include Fin Smith, Tom Willis and George Martin, while Wales players Jac Morgan and Dewi Lake are also among those able to move. R360 is also thought to be exploring approaches to more senior England players such as George Ford, Jamie George and Henry Slade.

R360's initial membership plans also include the launch of women's sides. Organisers say they intend to have four women's franchises ready in time for the competition's early seasons.

The proposals face regulatory and eligibility considerations. Under existing Rugby Football Union rules, England players must be employed by a Premiership club to be eligible for national selection, meaning those who sign full-time with R360 would be ineligible for England selection while under those terms. R360 has acknowledged those constraints and told players that only those out of contract with existing clubs in the summer of 2026 will be able to join for the first season, although organisers say they retain funds to buy out ongoing deals where necessary.

Tindall told players the project's timetable is aligned to World Rugby's council meetings, which meet twice a year, and that further elements of the plan will be concluded after the governing body's next session. "We need to work to their timetable," he said in the message. "Our mission is to communicate with you (players) first, so you'll be starting to hear a lot more from me. The beauty of this project is we are building it together."

R360 organisers have largely kept details out of the public domain while they build commercial, stadium and media plans, but the message to players signals a sustained recruitment drive and a belief among the group's leaders that they can secure sanctioning from World Rugby. The council's next meeting is scheduled for June 2026, when R360 hopes to complete the approval process and finalise arrangements for its inaugural season.

The emergence of R360 is the latest development in a period of shifting commercial and governance dynamics in professional rugby, as investor-backed competitions and alternative formats have sought footholds alongside established domestic leagues and international calendars. R360's founders emphasise a player-centric model and a global footprint, arguing the format will attract new audiences while working alongside the international game.

World Rugby and the Rugby Football Union did not immediately comment on R360's plans. R360 has said it will continue to engage with stakeholders as it develops its business plan and recruitment for players, coaches and team staff.

The league's next formal milestones will hinge on the submission of its full plans to World Rugby and the governing body's council decision in June 2026, while players and clubs weigh contractual options ahead of the close of the 2025–26 domestic season.