It has been revealed that an All Blacks star turned down an eye-watering sum of money to join rugby’s rebel league, which is due to start next year.
R360, which is being fronted by England Rugby World Cup winner Mike Tindall and is reportedly backed by Saudi Arabian money, are targeting some of the best talent in the world.
It is understood that 160 players have already signed up, with over 200 the supposed target.
Louis Rees-Zammit set to sign
That likely includes Louis Rees-Zammit, who has returned to the sport following an 18-month stint in the NFL, while there are claims that four Springboks have committed.
It has also been reported by The Roar that an unnamed current All Black was approached earlier this year and offered $12m over three seasons, but that he ‘turned it down’.
That person instead signed an extension to their New Zealand Rugby contract, likely keeping them tied to the governing body until after the World Cup.
R360 have also looked towards rugby league with some of the biggest names in the 13-a-side code being offered big-money deals.
Ryan Papenhuyzen, Kayln Ponga, Nelson Asofa-Solomona and former All Black Roger Tuivasa-Sheck are four of half-a-dozen NRL stars believed to have signed ‘conditional agreements’ with the rebel league.
‘Highest-profile’ Springboks sign up for rebel league as R360 turn attention to Ardie Savea
More could conceivably follow given the vast amount of money on offer and it has left rugby league bigwigs concerned.
“The NRL is the toughest competition in the world with the best athletes,” head coach of the NRL’s South Sydney Rabbitohs, Wayne Bennett, told News Corp. “We are absolutely under threat. We cannot ignore it.
“I don’t know how we combat it, but I will say this – the game needs to come together sooner rather than later in terms of the CEOs and the game itself. Let’s talk about what the hell is going on out there.
“Have the conversation we need to have with each other and discuss how do we stop it, what do we do?”
Wallabies being linked
Big-name Wallabies are also being targeted with Max Jorgensen, the 20-year-old who starred in the recent British and Irish Lions series, being seen as the prized asset.
Rugby Australia chief executive Phil Waugh also addressed the threat of this new competition recently.
“We’ve had conversations with R360. We haven’t got a huge amount of detail. We understand that players are talking to R360 – some of them are engaged and signed with R360,” Waugh told reporters.
“We’ve got a fairly open mind to what that looks like, but it’s very difficult [to have a position] without the details around what the modelling looks like.
“We certainly don’t have our heads in the sand about it. We’re across it. Obviously, World Rugby and national unions are talking about. It’s just about how much information there is to have a solid position about it.”