Rugby Australia must hold firm and stay with legend’s rugby revolution
Rugby Australia’s recent track record is hardly inspiring but its decision to back Agustin Pichot’s bid to lead World Rugby through the coronavirus crisis is the right one. Here’s why.
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When it comes to choosing its own leaders, Rugby Australia’s track record is hardly inspiring but the one thing RA has got right is its decision to back Agustin Pichot’s bid to lead World Rugby through the coronavirus crisis.
Never has a sport needed a swift kick up the backside more than rugby does right now and the former Argentine captain has emerged as the left-field revolutionary the game needs.
“The challenges the game is facing were there before the virus came along but what it has shown is that we all need to adapt and find more efficient ways of doing things,” Pichot told The Sunday Telegraph.
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“That’s why I’m running, because I believe the speed and the old way of doing things will keep us suffering.”
For all the talk about modernising, rugby remains trapped in its old ways so won’t realise its true potential until radical changes are made that benefit everyone, not just a privileged few.
While the sport’s global ruling body is thumping its chest about the blinding success of the first World Cup held in Asia, it’s worth remembering they had to be shamed into taking the tournament to Japan after handing out all previous tournaments to the establishment. Japan’s national team, the Brave Blossoms, were the biggest hit of the tournament yet they still can’t get an invite to the big tournaments.
Nor can the United States, which has been playing the game since 1874. If ever proof was needed that the game’s administrators have failed, it’s that USA Rugby has just declared bankruptcy while RA needs a financial bailout to stay afloat.
For too long, the game has been neglected in powerful nations with the populations and wealth to make rugby the global giant it should be, while the increasing number of Pacific Islanders playing for other countries remains a scandal that history will judge poorly.
Pichot is on a mission to change all that, campaigning on a platform to grow the game globally and create greater equity, not just for elite men, but for women too, and at the grassroots.
To succeed, rugby’s Che Guevara needs to defeat the establishment and the odds are stacked against him.
His rival for the job of World Rugby chairman is Bill Beaumont, the former England captain who has been in the job for the past four years and has the support of the Six Nations — they hold 18 of the 51 available votes, with 26 needed to win.
Pichot has the backing of the southern hemisphere, including Australia, but the SANZAAR nations only have 12 votes between them, so he needs smaller nations to vote his way. The decision will be announced in early May.