R360 is continuing in discussions with the IRPA and, while it is keen to have player union support, it is confident it can launch without it.
“Our global series puts players first and we will continue to engage extensively with stakeholders including IRPA,” said an R360 spokesperson.
“We’ve engaged directly with players and their closest advisors. We’re truly excited to launch next year and showcase incredible male and female talent, excite fans and help to grow the game we love.”
Organisers claim that R360 will bring in revenues untapped by the current club and provincial game.
The competition is still seeking World Rugby ratification, which can only be granted by June at the earliest.
To obtain it, R360 will need to comply with rules about releasing players to play for their countries in specific international windows throughout the year.
These vary between different regions and the men’s and women’s game, squeezing the calendar space in which R360’s full rosters would be available.
The newly launched WXV Global Series and the southern hemisphere’s The Rugby Championship both take place in October, the same month that R360’s inaugural event is aimed at.
R360 has a parallel rebel plan to set up the event without World Rugby’s ratification, if it cannot convince the governing body’s member unions to approve it.
Several major nations, including England and New Zealand, have a policy of only selecting players from their domestic clubs for Test matches, meaning a move to R360 would currently make a player ineligible for their international teams regardless.
