The Rugby Football Union is preparing to confirm that male players who sign contracts to join R360 will be banned from playing for England, with a formal announcement expected as soon as next week.
The Mike Tindall-backed rebel league has secured funding from private equity firms to launch a shortened competition next October, but the sport’s traditional powerbrokers are lining up to oppose them, with the international players’ union telling its members it will not endorse the new competition.
