Rugby360 money could reshape women’s rugby as unions draw line – Alice Soper

Ruahei Demant celebrates with Black Ferns teammates after scoring a try against France in the bronze medal match at the recent Rugby World Cup in England. Photo / SmartFrame

THE FACTS

• Eight national rugby unions have warned their players that they can’t play for both Rugby360 and their country.
• Rugby360 aims to boost women’s rugby, despite early missteps such as the unauthorised use of Ilona Maher’s image.
• Rugby360 offers significant contracts, potentially four times a Black Fern’s wage, posing a major draw.

This week’s joint statement from eight national rugby unions confirms just how serious a threat Rugby360 is to the current state of play.

Mike Tindall’s rebel league is set to kick off this time next year, with a draft to reveal which stars are signed on scheduled for June 2026.

The united stance from New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, Ireland, England, Scotland, France and Italy makes the choice clear: you can play for money or your country but not both.

The united statement is new, but the substance isn’t for New Zealand’s players. With the exception of sabbatical clauses, this is always the choice that players are faced with. In the men’s game, it’s a case of when a rugby star might look to cash in on their credentials, signing on to play out their careers in the domestic competitions of the United Kingdom, France or Japan.

It’s these leagues that have contributed to the increase in wages for men’s rugby back home. The overseas competitions form part of the equation when New Zealand Rugby is looking to negotiate terms. The real game-changer then, in amongst all of this posturing, is what could develop for women’s rugby.

Rugby360 hasn’t had a great start in its overtures to women in the game. The fledgling competition states it is “serious about unlocking the potential of women’s rugby” but has already seriously misstepped, having to issue an apology to one of the game’s biggest stars, Ilona Maher, after using her image across promotional material without permission.

If Rugby360 manages to recover from this less-than-ideal start and sign Maher for real, it could bring across more of her peers. And perhaps more importantly, it could draw more of her audience to the start-up venture.

This audience has been proven to follow Maher wherever she goes.

Her short stint at the Bristol Bears last season saw their social media following increase by 300% and their overall attendance by 103%, including selling out their regular stadium for her potential PWR (Premiership Women’s Rugby) debut.

The USA's Ilona Maher (left) and Portia Woodman-Wickliffe of the Black Ferns. Photo / Photosport

They moved to a bigger location and were rewarded with a new league attendance record. Maher has helped lift her national team too, her selection part of the reason the USA set their biggest attendance record in May.

Maher wouldn’t come cheap, but Rugby360 is one of the few leagues that could afford to pick up the bill. The money being thrown at women’s talent to join the league eclipses any other contract currently on offer. The top number I’ve heard is more than $450,000 - close to four times the annual wage of an average Black Fern.

We’ve already seen the bleeding of talent the NRLW has inflicted with contracts only double the rate of Super Rugby Aupiki. Should Rugby360 start putting out contracts with these rumoured figures attached, heads will turn. You can talk about test matches all you want, but this is life-changing money.

It’s dirty money, too, looking to launder the reputation of its backers through its association with rugby values. Traditional rugby may decry this option for the individuals, but the big national unions are entertaining their own offers.

New Zealand Rugby stated last year that it was open to playing tests in Qatar and Saudi Arabia, while World Rugby is likely to receive a bid from the same source to host the men’s Rugby World Cup in 2035. We know that this is sportswashing but it’s up to each union, each player, to determine what of themselves they are willing to sell.

The risks are the same as they always are for those who sell their body for a living. The players will need to weigh up these physical, mental and reputational costs attached to signing on to this new venture.

For the first time in the game’s history, though, women could get rich off the rewards.

Alice Soper is a sports columnist for the Herald on Sunday. A former provincial rugby player and current club coach, she has a particular interest in telling stories of the emerging world of women’s sports.