Australian rugby league players who join the rebel R360 competition will be banned for 10 years, the sport's governing body said Wednesday, branding the breakaway project "counterfeit".

The R360, co-founded by former England Rugby World Cup winner Mike Tindall, has backing from private investors, but it remains shrouded in secrecy.

Reports say it would involve six to eight men's teams and four women's, targeting big-name players globally from rugby union and rugby league to join the competition's franchises which will be located in major world cities.

Earlier this month, the rugby unions of eight of the sport's major countries said anyone who defects would be ineligible for national team selection.

The Australian Rugby League Commission has taken a similarly hard-line stance.

"Unfortu

See Full Page