WORLD IN MOTION

THE BOUNCE in oval-ball diplomacy can be fittingly iffy. And as we rounded into a fraught election phase to decide who would lead World Rugby into the next four years as chairman, with incumbent Bill Beaumont, 68, facing firebrand vice AgustÍn Pichot, 45, we pondered the future. Beaumont won a second inauguration in May and Pichot decided to step back from the body. It finished up 28-23 with the World Rugby Council vote tally.

Since then, talk of an ailing game’s recovery from the Covid-19 crisis has, rightly, dominated agendas. However, as we look ahead, it’s worth considering what came to pass within World Rugby in the last few years, where power really lies and what must be prioritised now. This is a glimpse inside, at ruckpolitik.

PICKING SIDES

According to a source within World Rugby, over the last two years things behind the scenes