R360: British and Irish Lions join ban on new rugby series

Organizers were also confident of filling out their men’s list, claiming they are close to the 200 names required, with a host of current and recent Test players temporarily committed.

However, R360 has yet to gain approval from World Rugby, which wants more details on organizing the series and releasing players for the international game.

England’s Emily Scarratt, who retired as the Red Roses’ all-time top scorer in October and is one of the most prominent figures in the women’s game, said she had not received any offer to extend her career with R360.

In the men’s game, Sale and English fly-half George Ford have rejected the approach, while other reported targets such as 2025 Lions tourists Finn Russell and Finn Smith have also extended their contracts with their current clubs.

The Australian Rugby League NRL has moved to retain its stars by threatening to ban any player who switches to R360 with a 10-year ban from the league.

Meanwhile, Rugby Football Union chief executive Bill Sweeney says he knows of no English player, male or female, who plans to sacrifice their Test career for a lucrative spell on the new circuit.

“I haven’t heard of a single player yet – that’s not to say it might be something I’m not aware of – but I haven’t heard of an English player, male or female, having actually signed,” he told Rugby Union Weekly.

“We’re not hearing more about this, and we’re not getting a ton of factual information in terms of what’s happening and what’s going to happen next, so I don’t spend any time worrying about that. We can’t get distracted by things we don’t know enough about.”