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Bill Beaumont has retained his position as Chairman of the World Rugby Council. The former England and Lions international has claimed an election win over outgoing Vice-Chair Agustin Pichot of Argentina by a final tally of 28-23. Managing the secret ballot process that ended on Thursday was PwC.
Also confirmed is new Vice-Chairman Bernard Laporte of France, who is elected unopposed. There are two new appointments to the Executive Committee, which has been expanded by one to 12 members. Bart Campbell takes over from Mark Robinson as New Zealand representative with Khaled Babbou of Rugby Africa taking the new seat.
WORLD RUGBY EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE 2020-2024
Bill Beaumont (Chairman), Bernard Laporte (Vice-Chairman), Brett Gosper (Chief Executive), Angela Ruggiero (Independent), Mervyn Davies (Independent), Mark Alexander (South Africa), Khaled Babbou (Rugby Africa), Bart Campbell (New Zealand), Gareth Davies (Wales), John Jeffrey (Scotland), Bob Latham (USA), Brett Robinson (Australia)
The new four-year term will officially begin at the next Council meeting scheduled for May 12. PwC was originally meant to announce the winner on that date but both Chair candidates agreed to make the announcement earlier with no second round of voting required.
Pichot released a statement on social media prior to the announcement:
“This campaign has been fought with integrity, and complete transparency. This has been possible because all sides involved in this election love our great game, and want the best possible future for it. The key to our movement is the global game. So, to all of you, from every part of the globe, thank you. Without you, there is no global game, and I’m glad this election has given you a voice to be heard, regardless of where you call home.
“Thank you to Bill. You are a true great of the game, and thank you for running such a positive campaign. Lastly, the fact you have all been so involved in this debate over our future, means the sport can never return to its old ways, you are all now a key part of our sport’s future. Whatever the result, this shift means we have already won. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, thank you all.”
Beaumont’s statement was included in the World Rugby release:
“I am honored to accept the mandate of the World Rugby Council to serve as the international federation’s Chairman once again and would like to thank my union and region colleagues, members of the global rugby family and, of course, my family for their full support.
“I would like to thank Gus for his friendship and support over the last four years. While we stood against each other in this campaign, we aligned in many ways, and I have the utmost respect for him. Gus is passionate about the sport and his contribution has been significant.
“Over the last four years we have achieved a lot, but we are at half-time and need to press on in the second half. I now have a clear mandate to work with Bernard to implement progressive, sustainable change.
“As an organisation, we must lead, be transparent, accountable and continue to serve for all. We must be united in our drive to make this great sport even better, simpler, safer and more accessible. We must listen to players, fans, competitions, our unions and regions, and take decisions that are in the best interests of all with our strong values to the fore.
“Now is not the time for celebration. We have work to do. We are tackling COVID-19 and must implement an appropriate return-to-rugby strategy that prioritizes player welfare, while optimizing any opportunity to return to international rugby this year in full collaboration with club competitions for the good of players, fans and the overall financial health of the sport.
“I am determined to ensure that the spirit of unity and solidarity that has characterized our work in response to an unprecedented global COVID-19 pandemic, is the cornerstone of a new approach that will deliver a stronger, more sustainable game when we emerge with new enthusiasm, a renewed purpose and an exciting future.”
