Beaumont re-elected head of World Rugby with Laporte as vice-president

A victory by KO. Ten days before the date scheduled to formalize the results of the election for the presidency of World Rugby, Bill Beaumont (68) was officially re-elected as head of the international federation, this Saturday. A large victory for the Englishman against his only nominated candidate, his former vice-president, the Argentinian Agustin Pichot (45 years old), former scrum half past notably by the Stade Français Paris and Racing 92. 

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The votes (28 votes for Beaumont, 23 for Pichot) had been closed since Thursday and the re-election of Bill Beaumont, who won more than half of the 51 votes needed, was such that a second ballot was not necessary . The results - which have been validated by the Swiss cabinet PwC - were therefore revealed before the next World Rugby council, which is scheduled for May 12. Beaumont, who had partnered in recent months with the president of the FFR Bernard Laporte as vice-president, was widely favored in his own succession. Schematically, Beaumont was able to count on the votes of the countries of the Six Nations Tournament which totaled 18 votes, while Pichot was presented as the candidate of the southern hemisphere (Argentina, New Zealand, Australia, South Africa).

When the result was announced, Bernard Laporte reacted via a press release: “I extend my congratulations to Bill Beaumont, re-elected President of World Rugby today. I also want to testify of all my friendship to Agustin Pichot, Argentine rugby legend who is a great leader of world rugby. I thank all the nations that expressed themselves in this election and that give a clear mandate for the governance that we will assume with Bill. Today I measure all the responsibility that is ours. In this time of unprecedented and major crisis, we must now act to bring together the Nations of the South and the North and define a reassuring future that respects our differences; to unite professional federations and leagues around a single design. ” 

I extend my congratulations to @BillBeaumont, re-elected President of World Rugby today.

And the president of the FFR adds: “We will have to implement in the coming weeks, the reforms necessary to safeguard rugby everywhere and for all. So does our survival. We will pursue the reforms together to act in solidarity with the world of rugby, to advance the game as well as the safety of the players. I am delighted with this victory, which is also that of French rugby, but the current circumstances call for immediate work in a spirit of broad rallying and very high responsibility. ”

The Kean case did not weigh

The re-election of Bill Beaumont did not suffer from the “Francis Kean affair”. Just before the election, the Englishman had lost significant support with the withdrawal of the candidacy for the executive committee of the president of the Fijian Federation, notably accused of homophobia. The latter, already convicted of manslaughter in 2006, is under investigation by the international body. The British daily newspaper The Times  had published two Amnesty International reports implicating him but, in the end, that did not seal the candidacy of the outgoing president.

If the opposition of styles was obvious between a Beaumont, an "old-fashioned" leader, and a more "modern" Pichot and omnipresent on social networks, the programs of the two candidates were ultimately quite similar: the establishment of a global season, a review of governance, player well-being, growth in participation, sustainable finance. With the Covid-19 pandemic hitting the rugby economy hard, the new president will have to work to help federations in great financial difficulty, especially in the southern hemisphere. 

“At the beginning, during your first term, you try to please everyone. In the second, you can be braver, more visionary and make a difference ”

Before his election, Bill Beaumont, former captain of the XV de la Rose (34 caps including 21 with the armband between 1975 and 1982) and ex-president of the powerful English federation (RFU) between 2012 and 2016, had explained to AFP  : “At the beginning, during your first mandate, you try to please everyone. In the second, you can be braver, more visionary and make a difference. ” Beaumont had in his balance sheet the success of the last World Cup in Japan and the prospect of important receipts with the Mondial organized in France in 2023. 

A new enthusiasm, a renewed objective and an exciting future

“Now is not the time to celebrate (this re-election). We have work to do. We need to tackle Covid-19 and implement an appropriate return to rugby strategy that prioritizes player well-being, while optimizing a return to international rugby this year in full collaboration with club competitions for the many players, fans and the overall financial health of the sport, said the Englishman in a statement. I am determined to ensure that the spirit of unity and solidarity that has characterized our work so far in response to an unprecedented global Covid-19 pandemic is the cornerstone of a new approach that will offer a stronger and more sustainable game when we resume with new enthusiasm, a renewed objective and an exciting future. ”

With this election, Bernard Laporte, already president of the French Rugby Federation, will add a string to his bow at the international level. Recently, the French leader had explained that World Rugby was thinking of creating a Club World Cup every year (except those of the World Cup), which would eventually lead to the disappearance of the European Cups. Last year, World Rugby launched the idea of ​​creating a new competition, a World League bringing together the best national teams. Faced with the wave of criticism that this had raised, the project had finally been canceled. 

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