Vested interests win battle for World Rugby but the sport’s problems remain | Robert Kitson


With the re-election of Sir Bill Beaumont as the chairman of World Rugby, the sport has missed a chance to modernise

Familiar English white smoke is once again billowing from the chimneys of World Rugby. Those who had hoped for a dash of Argentinian sky blue underestimated the powerful vested interests and conservative instincts still prevailing in rugby’s core heartlands, not to mention the widespread need for a comfort blanket in these uncertain times.

This is not to say that Sir Bill Beaumont’s defeat of Agustín Pichot is a guaranteed backward step, merely that a glorious opportunity to reinvent the sport’s image has been spurned.

Related: Bill Beaumont beats Agustín Pichot in battle for control of World Rugby

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