British & Irish Lions plan ban on R360 players to stop Red Roses jumping ship

• Eight of 12 tier-one unions already plan to ban rebels

• Lions hope to sway stars lured by league’s salary offers

The British & Irish Lions are planning to follow the example of the biggest unions by banning players who join R360 in a move designed primarily to prevent an exodus of England’s Red Roses stars to the rebel league.

Eight of the 12 tier-one unions, led by England and New Zealand, announced last month that they would not select R360 players, and the Guardian has learned that the Lions will follow suit. Ireland, Scotland, France, Italy, New Zealand, Australia and South Africa also came out in support of a ban, but Wales and Argentina did not due to smaller player pools and weaker domestic leagues.