The Welsh Rugby Union has backed Bill Beaumont to chair World Rugby for another term, significantly boosting his chances of beating challenger Agustin Pichot.
WRU chairman Gareth Davies admitted some board members favoured Beaumont while others preferred Pichot, and it was “by no means a ‘one-horse race’.
But Davies confirmed in a statement on Wednesday (Thursday NZ time) that they were backing Beaumont after speaking with both candidates and assessing their election manifestoes.
Wales’ backing means Beaumount , a former England captain and ex-British and Irish Lions lock, is expected to get the support of all Six Nations members.
The Guardian reported that each of the Six Nations get three votes and the Rugby Europe federation two, meaning Beaumont would only need a further six votes for victory.
Pichot is believed to have 14 votes – from the four Sanzaar nations and the South American federation.
Davies said the WRU had consulted both the Professional Rugby Board (PRB) and our own executive board for their views before deciding to support Beaumont.
“As always, it is vitally important to us that due and proper process is followed in the governance of our game in Wales and I would like to formally confirm to our members clubs the Board’s conclusion to support Bill Beaumont in his bid to be re-elected for a further term.”
“We have digested the dynamic drive for change presented by Agustin and understood the commitment to progress but also stability and the steady hand provided by Bill.
“Some members of our Board expressed direct support for Bill and others acceded to take their steer from those of us who are closest to the issues at play.
“There were members of both our exec board and the PRB who expressed a preference for Agustin, and this was by no means a ‘one horse race’ in the Board’s eyes, but our final collective decision was reached based on evidence provided, due diligence and research of each candidate.”
Davies said the WRU was “strongly of the belief that this was the proper way to conduct ourselves”.
“Just as when we were deciding on how to vote for the 2023 Rugby World Cup host candidates – where we followed the recommendations of the technical evaluation conducted by World Rugby – we have followed the evidence before us and, we are sure, backed the best candidate for the job.”
