Storm superstar Ryan Papenhuyzen has reportedly held a meeting with powerbrokers of the rebel Rugby360 competition in a big contract move.
According to the SMH, high-profile figures behind R360 were in Australia for the British and Irish Lions tour and they sat down with Papenhuyzen to discuss his future in Melbourne.
That meeting took place on Sunday, discussing the potential for the 27-year-old to make a high-profile code switch in 2027.
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Papenhuyzen is contracted at the Storm until the end of the 2026 season, but is reportedly seriously considering making the move.
The gun fullback has previously played rugby union during his time at Oakhill College, with the R360 competition also attempting to court the likes of Roger Tuivasa-Sheck and Kalyn Ponga.
Any deal for Papenhuyzen to make the switch will reportedly be worth in excess of $1.5 million, dwarfing his current NRL contract.
Tuivasa-Sheck’s R360 contract will reportedly be worth around $1.1 million should the Warriors star decide to return to rugby union in 2027.
He reportedly is earning $550,000 on his current contract which runs until the end of the 2026 season.
However, there’s a number of hurdles that R360 need to jump to get the competition off the ground and secure private equity to fund it.
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Firstly, franchises need to be purchased before a broadcast partner is secured to televise the games.
Finally, 200 players need to be signed to fill out each team’s respective rosters, and each of these stumbling blocks need to be solved by the end of September.
Interestingly, the chief executive of Saudi Arabia’s Public investment fun’s sports branch, SURJ Sports Investment, revealed they had not held talks with R360 bosses.
“We’ve not had any conversations with R360 and at this stage are not looking at any rugby investment,” Danny Townsend said to the SMH.
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