Scotland star addresses talk of breakaway league and the 'awesome' US factor

Adam Hastings reckons players could be interested in moving to a breakaway league providing it did not interfere with international commitments.

The US-backed proposal is threatening to upend the rugby landscape by targeting the world’s top stars, with Finn Russell and Antoine Dupont reportedly at the top of the “wish list”. The league, which is at an early stage of development, would see franchises travel to different cities across the world in a similar vein to Formula One.

One of the key elements behind the proposals, in addition to attractive salaries, is a slimmed-down fixture list aimed at appealing to players who feel there are far too many games in the rugby calendar. Hastings, who returned to the Scotland line-up for the 59-21 win over Portugal on Saturday, admitted players could have their heads turned by the rebel competition.

Adam Hastings during a Scotland training session at the Oriam, on November 19, 2024, in Edinburgh, Scotland. (Photo by Ross Parker / SNS Group) | SNS Group

Asked if players would be interested if the league came to fruition in 2026 as planned, Hastings replied: “Potentially. You've also got to look at the history and things in the other leagues as well. You don't want them to die out.

“It would be interesting to see how it would coincide with the internationals. Would it be like the Japan stuff? If you go play in Japan you kind of count yourself out for internationals. Look, there are a lot of moving parts.

“Obviously they're trying to create a new spin on it. It's interesting to see. Whether it would work would be a whole different story I'd imagine. It's one of those things that's kind of hearsay until it happens.”

Hastings admits the prospect of taking rugby into the US market is particularly appealing.

“If they could get it going over there it would be awesome, wouldn't it?" he added. "If it was one of the most popular sports, and you see how they do sport over there - it's pretty impressive. The media backing behind it and the way they put players on a pedestal, it would be pretty cool.”

Hastings was understandably disappointed to miss out on the matchday 23 against South Africa after an eye-catching display while deputising for Finn Russell at fly-half against Fiji the previous week, but admits he understood the decision.

"Mixed emotions," he said. "I felt I went really, really well against Fiji. To miss out on the 6-2 [forwards-backs split on the bench] is obviously a shame. I understand it. We go 6-2 quite a lot at Glasgow and they choose to put a 10 on the bench usually, so it's just different here and that's the way it is. I did all I could the week before and put my hand up, but unfortunately it wasn't meant to be.”

Whether he makes the squad for the final Autumn Nations fixture against Australia at Murrayfield this weekend remains to be seen but the Glasgow Warriors man is expecting a tough match against a Wallabies side who scored a combined 94 points in defeating both England and Wales over the past fortnight.

“They're on fire at the moment as well, obviously just beating England and Wales," Hastings added. “They've got a lot of firepower and they're kind of hitting form again, so it will be a really tight game, I'd imagine.”