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Find your Sport Nation frequency'Real concern': Rugby 360's poaching threat with Tuivasa-Sheck set to sign
Sam Kosack • July 16th, 2025 8:24 pm
Photo: Andrew Cornaga/Photosport
Rugby league should be worried about the new rebel Rugby 360 competition, according to former Wallaby Mat Rogers, after the league may have signed its first marquee NRL player.
NZ Warriors superstar Roger Tuivasa-Sheck is in discussions to sign a deal worth close to $1 million a season with the breakaway rugby union competition in 2027, according to Sydney Morning Herald’s Michael Chammas.
Having already played two seasons of Super Rugby Pacific with the Blues in between stints in the NRL, it would mark Tuivasa-Sheck’s second venture into rugby union, and he would be the first NRL player to join the rival league.
The R360 competition is a breakaway league, described as a “grand prix” style competition with matches to be played across the world’s biggest cities over 16 rounds akin to Formula 1.
The top players in the competition will reportedly be able to sign for up to AUD$3.1 million a season, with the league having deep-pocketed investors, including some from Saudi Arabia, per reports.
Dual international Mat Rogers says the NRL should be concerned about the real prospect of the competition poaching rugby league's top talents.
"Most of these athletes are dual sport athletes now, they can play either. They'll work it out," Rogers warned on SEN 1170 Sportsday.
"Particularly the elite ones like your Kalyn Pongas and your RTS's who've been back and forward.
"When the Saudis come with a loaded checkbook, I thought rugby union should be worried, given the nature of expansion in rugby league, but they need 300 elite players for this league, and I think rugby league need to be worried because the Saudis have very deep pockets.
"This is a real concern given we're expanding... it's something that we've really got to keep an eye on.
"The NRL really need to think about contracting players... another half a million dollars, you're not going anywhere.
"I fear if we don't do it we're going to lose those top players to astronomical players that rugby league just can't pay because we have a salary cap.
"They will not have a salary cap, and if they want a player, they'll get a player."
Nine’s Danny Weidler reported that Storm duo Ryan Papenhuyzen and Nelson Asofa-Solomona had been earmarked by R360 organisers as other potential signings.
SEN's Bryan Fletcher believes with the rise of this competition, the NRL could see similarities to the Super League war from the 1990s, with the league likely to appeal to Kalyn Ponga after the Knights captain was reported to have engaged a rugby union agent in New Zealand.
“Kalyn’s (Ponga) going there,” Fletcher said on SEN 1170 Drive.
“It's an IPL for rugby, that's all it is."
