With an aim to attract the top 300 men’s and women’s players in the world, the franchise competition would be played predominantly in the summer in some of the world’s major cities – with London, Paris, Los Angeles, Tokyo, Buenos Aires and Cape Town all mentioned.
R360 has also vowed to “unlock the potential of the women’s game”, with American superstar Ilona Maher featuring on the promotional material.
But a number of senior figures in the game believe the proposals lack substance and will struggle to get either the approval needed from the governing bodies or the required investment.
“It’s the world 12s again,” one source told the BBC, referencing a shorter format of the game that never materialised., external
R360 plans to take place in two blocks – April to June and August to September – and while this would not clash with the men’s Six Nations or the November internationals – it would overlap with both the southern hemisphere Rugby Championship and the women’s Six Nations.
R360 is headed up by World Cup winner Mike Tindall and former Bath captain and director of rugby Stuart Hooper.
Tindall says in the prospectus that R360 is being launched as a response to a club game that has “failed to capture the same level of interest and investment as international rugby”.
“Clubs around the world are feeling the strain and are being propped up by the international game,” Tindall added.
“Rugby’s lack of innovation and ability to change risks losing its appeal to new audiences and its younger market.”
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