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What is Rugby360? And is it Saudi sportswashing?
What is Rugby360? And is it Saudi sportswashing?

RNZ News

time3 days ago

  • Business
  • RNZ News

What is Rugby360? And is it Saudi sportswashing?

By Ross McNaughton , RNZ Ardie Savea. Photo: Brett Phibbs / If the All Blacks have been approached to take part in the Rugby360 competition, they are certainly not letting on. "Not at all, mate, no I haven't heard anything," All Blacks vice-captain Ardie Savea said. "I'm unaware of any of that information," coach Scott Robertson said. But according to veteran commentator Tony Johnson, R360 could be a legitimate threat to rugby's status quo. "What I'm hearing now is that this thing is real, that the money is off the scale. There is a lot of money, there are interested parties. They're certainly talking to a lot of players and they believe they can get this thing going by next year. How realistic that is, I don't know," he said. While solid details about R360 are scarce, the competition would reportedly operate eight men's and four women's teams, in a franchise system played across multiple countries. Former England midfielder Mike Tindall is a spokesperson and the league is being financed by private investment from the US, the UK, and most importantly, Saudi Arabia. It is estimated Rugby 360 will need to sign hundreds of players to operate. Warriors star Roger Tuivasa-Sheck is one of several high-profile NRL players linked with a move to Rugby360. Photo: Photosport / Andrew Cornaga Any wage bill though is minuscule, compared to the riches in the Saudi Public Investment Fund, according to professor Steve Jackson at the University of Otago. "It's into the hundreds of billions, and that's just their investment strategy. And just in relation to sport, I think they're at about close to $50 billion just in the last two to three years," he said. Critics have termed this strategy sportswashing. Effectively using sport as a means to cleanse a country's reputation. And while it has gone for decades across many nations, the Saudis are the undisputed world champions. "They can hide all the human rights abuses," Jackson said. "Rugby is just another feather in the cap. You know, there's golf, there's, Formula 1. There's UFC. I mean, they've got links now with the IOC and the Olympics, FIFA. So they are gathering momentum." New Zealand Rugby declined an interview request but provided a statement saying they're monitoring potential markets. "We continue to see strong player retention, driven by a focus on environments and quality teams and competitions. Pleasingly, we have large number of players committed to the long-term which recognises the incredibly exciting domestic and international rugby calendar over the next four years." World Rugby have also taken notice. "World Rugby have had a meeting very recently about it," Johnson said. "No one knows what has come out of that, but World Rugby will be under a lot of pressure from the likes of, the English Premiership, the Top 14 league in France, the Japan League, Super Rugby, because if this thing R360 gets off the ground, then those competitions will be decimated and it really will split the game." World Rugby still holds a trump card though: Test rugby. "What I understand is that no top rugby players are going to commit to this if they think there's any threat to them playing international rugby, no matter how big the money is. Or very few, which is why probably at the moment the names that are being banded around are rugby league players." But the Saudis have the money to test anyone's loyalty. Top players were reportedly offered signing bonuses of more than US$100 million to join their LIV golf tour. "We can have a lot of theories, but at the end of the day it's two words: money talks," Jackson said. Whether that money gets a 'yes' from New Zealand's best rugby players, that will all come out in the wash. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

Road in Cannock closed as surface melts in hot weather
Road in Cannock closed as surface melts in hot weather

BBC News

time14-07-2025

  • Climate
  • BBC News

Road in Cannock closed as surface melts in hot weather

A road in Staffordshire was closed over the weekend when the surface melted in the heat, the county council has said. Staffordshire County Council reopened the stretch of road in Cannock on Monday after treating the road surface with granite Mason, cabinet member for strategic highways, said: "We took the decision to temporarily close Gorsemoor Road in Cannock at the weekend after we were made aware that the heat was affecting the condition of the road surface."According to the Met Office, temperatures in Cannock reached highs of 29C (84F) on the weekend with Mason adding it was "not unusual" for road surface temperatures to hit 50C (122F) during a heatwave. Mason added the repairs would not come at an expense to taxpayers, after the council found work carried out had not met the required said: "Any work carried out on our highway network needs to meet our design and quality standards and, on this occasion, the surface treatment did not perform. "We will work with our contractor to arrange for the necessary repairs to take place at no expense to the taxpayer," added the Reform UK Johnson, leader of Cannock Chase District Council – which is not responsible for the area's roads, but often receives complaints – said local highways were "notoriously bad"."We're renowned for our roads not being the best," he added he had received reports that vehicle tyres had been damaged, and said he was concerned about the cost of repairing motorist, who wished to remain anonymous, told the BBC she had spent more than £300 on replacement tyres after driving on Gorsemoor Road before the closure. Follow BBC Stoke & Staffordshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.

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