The race to succeed Bill Beaumont as President of World Rugby will come to a close with a vote on Thursday at the organisation’s headquarters in Dublin, Ireland.
Here are the profiles of the three candidates in the running.
Three candidates are vying to replace 72-year-old former England international Bill Beaumont, who has been in charge of international rugby for the past eight years.
The three candidates are Australia’s Brett Robinson, France’s Abdelatif Benazzi and Italy’s Andrea Rinaldo. Each brings a unique perspective to the role, with different approaches to rugby’s global expansion, game innovation and sports management.
Brett Robinson (Australia):
Nominated by his home country and supported by England, Brett Robinson is a former rugby player, a medical doctor by profession and a member of the World Rugby Executive Council since 2016.
At 54, Robinson is a strong advocate of modernising the game, particularly in terms of speed and efficiency. As a player, he was a wing who won 16 international caps and captained the ACT Brumbies.
In addition to his rugby career, Robinson has built a distinguished career in business and sports administration.
A key part of his platform is to speed up the game. Robinson supports measures such as time limits on scrums and try-scoring, as well as the controversial 20-minute red card being trialled in international competition.
He has also been involved in concussion research, working on a study at the Queensland Brain Institute.
“From my experience in non-executive roles, as president and in CEO positions, the president sets the tone for everything,” he said in an interview with The Post of New Zealand in August.
“They are key to the relationship with the executive and getting things done.”
“An effective president will lead to an effective board. If you have an ineffective president, even great directors and a good executive team can be held back and not reach their potential,” he said.
Abdelatif Benazzi (France):
Nominated by France and supported by South Africa, Abdelatif Benazzi is a former player with a distinguished career. Born in Oujda, Morocco, Benazzi captained France to 78 caps and is regarded as one of the most iconic players in French rugby history. Since retiring from professional rugby, he has been reflecting on the current state of the sport, particularly on a global scale.
Benazzi has no qualms about expressing his concerns about the future of the game. He believes that the sport remains centred around a few traditional countries, with few emerging nations joining the elite of international rugby. With this in mind, Benazzi advocates the global expansion of rugby, particularly in Africa, where he sees huge potential for growth.
“The Rugby World Cup may give the impression that it’s a truly global sport. In reality, it is still only a few countries that have been playing the game for 100 years, with very few others emerging as contenders,” he said.
He is sceptical about the idea that the 2031 Rugby World Cup, to be held in the United States, could be the key to opening up the American market.
Benazzi is also very critical of the 20-minute red card rule currently being tested in some competitions. He believes it could make rugby more violent and dangerous. He argues that a red card should be definitive, with no flexibility.
“A red card is a red card, there’s no need to confuse the issue. It could be a dangerous move for rugby, it could make it much more violent, so we are totally against it,” he said, taking a sharply different stance from his opponent.
“At the moment, 11 countries represent 70 per cent of the votes in World Rugby and that creates conservatism. The alarm has been sounded – the ship is about to sink,” he told AFP earlier.
“At the same time, these powerhouses are facing financial problems, with most of them running deficits of more than 10 million euros.”
One of Benazzi’s solutions is to expand the game globally, including Africa, and not to pin all hopes on the 2031 Rugby World Cup in the United States as a financial windfall that will open up the American market.
Andrea Rinaldo (Italy):
Nominated by Italy and supported by Ireland, Andrea Rinaldo is a lesser known figure in the rugby world, but he has an interesting profile. Rinaldo, 70, played rugby in his youth and won four international caps as a lock.
He is better known for his career outside the sport as a hydrologist. In 2023, he was awarded the prestigious Stockholm Water Prize, giving him international recognition in the scientific community.
Although he has been away from the game for many years, Rinaldo remains involved in the sport as a board member of European Professional Club Rugby.
His proposal centres on a more scientific and analytical approach to the governance of World Rugby. According to Rinaldo, rugby needs to adopt a more systematic, data-driven approach to the challenges it faces.
While his background as a scientist and his experience in sports management make him an interesting candidate, his lack of direct involvement in rugby could work against him in a traditionally conservative sport like rugby.
