Eddie Jones, the astute mind steering Japan's rugby team, has thrown his weight behind the controversial R360 league, asserting it's precisely what the sport must embrace to expand its horizons. Jones, a celebrated figure with coaching tenures in Australia and England, has joined forces with R360 enthusiast and rugby legend Mike Tindall to promote this potential game-changer. Launched four months back with Tindall at its vanguard, R360 aims to catapult rugby onto a global stage, promising broader appeal and hefty paychecks that have already tempted top-tier talent.
While international rugby bodies have collectively snubbed R360, threatening bans and eligibility restrictions, Jones argues that the league could rejuvenate rugby much like World Series Cricket reinvigorated its sport back in '77. "I think we need it, mate," Jones candidly shared with The Times, "You think about what World Series Cricket did for cricket. It changed the whole game from being a drab game to being an exciting game that people wanted to get involved in. And I think that’s part of the problem of rugby at the moment."
"Test match rugby is that. But we need another level that’s an entertainment level that brings more fans and more sponsors and more commercialism into the game to allow our more traditional levels of rugby to continue."
Jones is not blind to the success of international rugby, which he acknowledges is "thriving". Yet, he insists that the sport must evolve, suggesting aligned international windows akin to football to manage domestic and international schedules effectively. This adjustment, he believes, is crucial as financial strains cripple domestic leagues outside of France and Japan, where external funding keeps the sports afloat.
"We’ve just seen in America they’re down to, I think, six teams in the MLR. England’s been down to ten teams now. Super Rugby is running off an oily rag at the moment," Jones explained, highlighting the financial dire straits. "And then, obviously, 360 sees a vacuum, doesn’t it, to step into domestic rugby."
As R360 continues to push for cooperation with World Rugby and maintain player eligibility for international matches, the traditional and the revolutionary sides of the sport seem set for a showdown. How this plays out could very well redefine the future landscape of rugby.
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Eddie Jones, the astute mind steering Japan's rugby team, has thrown his weight behind the controversial R360 league, asserting it's precisely what the sport must embrace to expand its horizons. Jones, a celebrated figure with coaching tenures in Australia and England, has joined forces with R360 enthusiast and rugby legend Mike Tindall to promote this potential game-changer. Launched four months back with Tindall at its vanguard, R360 aims to catapult rugby onto a global stage, promising broader appeal and hefty paychecks that have already tempted top-tier talent.
While international rugby bodies have collectively snubbed R360, threatening bans and eligibility restrictions, Jones argues that the league could rejuvenate rugby much like World Series Cricket reinvigorated its sport back in '77. "I think we need it, mate," Jones candidly shared with The Times, "You think about what World Series Cricket did for cricket. It changed the whole game from being a drab game to being an exciting game that people wanted to get involved in. And I think that’s part of the problem of rugby at the moment."
"Test match rugby is that. But we need another level that’s an entertainment level that brings more fans and more sponsors and more commercialism into the game to allow our more traditional levels of rugby to continue."
Jones is not blind to the success of international rugby, which he acknowledges is "thriving". Yet, he insists that the sport must evolve, suggesting aligned international windows akin to football to manage domestic and international schedules effectively. This adjustment, he believes, is crucial as financial strains cripple domestic leagues outside of France and Japan, where external funding keeps the sports afloat.
"We’ve just seen in America they’re down to, I think, six teams in the MLR. England’s been down to ten teams now. Super Rugby is running off an oily rag at the moment," Jones explained, highlighting the financial dire straits. "And then, obviously, 360 sees a vacuum, doesn’t it, to step into domestic rugby."
As R360 continues to push for cooperation with World Rugby and maintain player eligibility for international matches, the traditional and the revolutionary sides of the sport seem set for a showdown. How this plays out could very well redefine the future landscape of rugby.