The most powerful position in rugby will be filled when the next chairman of the sport’s global governing body is elected in Dublin on Thursday.
Former France No. 8 Abdelatif Benazzi, former Australia flanker Brett Robinson and former Italy lock Andrea Rinaldo are the three candidates to succeed Bill Beaumont, who is stepping down after eight years in the role at World Rugby.
If Robinson or the Morocco-born Benazzi wins, rugby will have its first non-European chairman.
The winning ticket needs to secure a majority of the 52 votes on the World Rugby Council.
Here’s a look at the three candidates:
Abdelatif Benazzi
Born and raised in Morocco and a member of the French squad which reached the 1999 World Cup final, Benazzi has presented himself as a champion of the global game and someone who can broaden rugby’s appeal beyond its traditional strongholds and into regions like his native Africa. Benazzi told the BBC he wants to build “links between big unions and the new regions” because, in his opinion, rugby’s current financial model is “not a safe strategy for the future.” High on his wish-list is an international competition in Africa to increase the number of competitive games played there and for greater representation inside World Rugby for emerging nations so the sport can “hear more voices” and be less conservative.
Brett Robinson
The 16-cap Wallaby has been a member of World Rugby’s executive board since 2016 and has long been viewed as the man most likely to succeed Beaumont, ensuring a certain amount of continuity. Indeed, Robinson has been a supporter of the game’s recent law changes and trials, such as the 20-minute red card — something Benazzi is against. Australia will occupy a central position in rugby over the coming years, with the British and Irish Lions touring in 2025 and the men’s World Cup staged there in 2027. Robinson has leadership experience in business in private sector roles in healthcare and insurance, and will be viewed as a safe pair of hands.
Andrea Rinaldo
Widely consider the outsider in the contest, Rinaldo — who retired from rugby at age 24 because of a knee injury — is the oldest of the candidates at 70 and the first Italian to go for the role as chairman. He has held a leadership role in rugby thanks to his 20 years on the executive committee of European Professional Club Rugby, which is responsible for Europe’s two main cup competitions, and positions in the Italian federation. He also has a background in science as a renowned professor of hydrology and water resources. He won the prestigious Stockholm Water Prize in 2023 for his research into river networks.
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AP rugby: https://apnews.com/hub/rugby
Steve Douglas, The Associated Press
