Rugby Championship quartet may be faced with a stark choice: let the Six Nations hold sway or declare they will no longer be bound by World Rugby’s schedule
Bill Beaumont’s re-election as World Rugby’s chairman was not an end but a new beginning. The former England captain faced several hurdles as a player, but nothing compared to what he faces in his final administrative stint. His narrow victory over Agustín Pichot shows there is a danger of the international game splitting unless the next few years spawn meaningful change and an end to self-interest.
Beaumont was backed by the Six Nations while Pichot harvested the votes of the four Rugby Championship countries: had the former Argentina scrum-half persuaded one of the European unions to back him, he would have won. His failure gave the incumbent a majority of five, but Pichot did not secure enough votes from the countries and associations representing the nations below what is called tier one to bring what had been a stealthy campaign to a successful conclusion.
Related: RFU will need government bailout if England do not play until summer 2021
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