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The British & Irish Lions are planning to follow the example of the biggest unions by banning players who join R360 in a move designed primarily to prevent an exodus of England’s Red Roses stars to the rebel league.
Eight of the 12 tier-one unions, led by England and New Zealand, announced last month that they would not select R360 players, and the Guardian has learned that the Lions will follow suit. Ireland, Scotland, France, Italy, New Zealand, Australia and South Africa also came out in support of a ban, but Wales and Argentina did not due to smaller player pools and weaker domestic leagues.
A number of England’s World Cup winners are leading targets for R360, with the full-back Ellie Kildunne saying last month that she is “open to anything”. With the next tournament four years away, there are concerns at the Rugby Football Union in particular that salaries of up to £270,000 in the franchise competition will be too good to turn down, despite the prospect of an international ban. The salary cap for an entire squad in Premiership Women’s Rugby this season is just £255,000.
The four home unions, which are each 25% shareholders in the Lions, however, are hoping the first women’s tour to New Zealand in September 2027 will give them additional leverage over players reluctant to miss out on that historic event.
John Mitchell, the England head coach, said after the World Cup final victory against Canada that he would be open to leading the Lions on their three‑Test tour against the Black Ferns, while the squad is likely to be dominated by the Red Roses, who have won 33 successive matches since losing against New Zealand in the 2021 World Cup final. Any Lions squad deprived of England players would be significantly weakened and risk devaluing the tour.
The Lions are understood to have contacted R360 in an attempt to broker informal discussions without getting a meaningful response. R360’s plans for the women’s competition are unclear beyond its initial commitment to set up four franchises, and it has yet to confirm dates despite planning to launch next September.
A draft itinerary circulated by R360 had the first matches in the 2027 competition in a block between April and June, which would clash with the Women’s Six Nations, although sources involved insist the schedule has since changed. Despite planning to launch in autumn 2026, there will be no clash with the Women’s Lions tour 12 months later, as no R360 games will take place during that period because of the men’s Rugby World Cup, beginning on 1 October.
While there is some sympathy for the players among the home unions and the Lions because of the money potentially on offer in R360, sources involved in their deliberations have indicated they have to act to protect the primacy of international rugby.
In its statement last month outlining its opposition to R360, the RFU referred to concerns for the women’s game being one of the main factors in its deliberations. “We have invested millions into Premiership Women’s Rugby, central contracts, bonuses, and performance support to develop the women’s and girls’ game here and played a pivotal role in negotiating the structure of the new WXV global series,” it said. “We cannot therefore support this proposition.”
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The newly appointed Lions women’s committee, chaired by the former England player and Lions board member Carol Isherwood, is understood to have bought into this approach.
The Lions and R360 declined to comment.
