Former England captain Bill Beaumont was yesterday elected chairman of World Rugby, vowing to “repay the game” that made him a star and address concussion concerns.
Beaumont, 64, succeeds Frenchman Bernard Lapasset and will work alongside new vice-chairman Agustin Pichot, the former Argentina captain.
Both men, who stood unopposed, will officially take up their roles on July 1.
“I am honoured to accept the mandate of council to serve as World Rugby chairman at what is an exciting and pivotal time for the sport,” Beaumont said at the official announcement in Dublin.
“Now I have the opportunity to repay what the game has given me. I won’t take (World Rugby’s) support for granted and I fully intend to repay their faith.
“Rugby’s never been in a better position. It’s growing into new markets, we have over seven million people playing the game and this year it makes its return to the Olympics for the first time since 1924.
“Players must be at the heart of our decision-making and it is our responsibility to look after players for life, not just 80 minutes.
“We must continue to be at the forefront of concussion research and we must preserve the integrity of the sport.
“I will ensure there are processes in place to tackle all forms of corruption and a world class anti-doping programme.”
Beaumont won 34 caps for England and captained his country to a Five Nations Grand Slam success in 1980. He also captained the British and Irish Lions, for whom he played seven times.
After retiring, he carved out a career as a regular guest on British television quiz show ‘A Question of Sport’, before returning to rugby as an administrator.
He is the Rugby Football Union and Six Nations Rugby chairman, was World Rugby vice-chairman from 2007 to 2012 and also served on the body’s executive committee and the Rugby World Cup board.
“Rugby has experienced significant and rapid growth, which is a credit to Bernard Lapasset and his leadership over the past eight years,” added Beaumont, who will serve a four-year term.
“The sport is in excellent health and over the next four years there will be many great opportunities to further develop and grow the game.
“However, we cannot be complacent. Rugby, like all sports, faces challenges and my manifesto outlines the five priorities focused on addressing these.
“These priorities are continuing to protect players, preserving integrity, enhancing global competition, optimising partnerships and empowering and strengthening unions.”