Is Bill Beaumont really the man to change rugby?
Rugby is in crisis. It is not alone. Below the billion-dollar playgrounds of the Premier League and perhaps NFL and NBA, it is one of many mid-tier sports that was running to standstill even before the Coronavirus took a morbid hold of a game in only its 25th year of professionalism.
When in times of duress, there is an overwhelming urge to turn inwards, and look to what you know, so when plumes of white smoke rose from the wood-panelled corridors of power in Dublin yesterday it was no surprise to see Sir Bill Beaumont had been anointed World Rugby chairman for a second term. There will be many in the game with high-falutin titles, who will feel at ease. This doughty, lionhearted former England and Lions captain has been a fixture in the game since the 1970s, and his promise of evolution, spoke of safe hands at the tiller in these extraordinary times.
Indeed, Beaumont fought this two-man duel rugby’s like a statesman, mostly behind closed-doors, where politicking was left to trusted media contacts, in relationships forged over glasses of red for decades, while Gus Pichot, painted as a Che Guevara-type revolutionary, seemed to be accessible to all comers. His peppy campaign, waged on social media, befitted a man 23 years Beaumont’s junior. Pichot played the disrupter, the avant garde man of the people quite exquisitely. In online polls, he romped home, whipping up enough interest to be seen as a credible contender to a rugby heavyweight who knew he could count on Northern Hemisphere votes to swing behind him while he lobbied for the remaining eight votes needed further down the rugby pyramid.
In the end, with the sole Africa vote and two Japanese votes banked, Beaumont could afford to raise a smile, as this young, wannabe conquistador was defeated. The Argentine was magnanimous in defeat and has vowed to step away from high-level administration, white trainers and all, to leave others to take rugby forward, but while Beaumont pours a triumphal pint of bitter on lockdown and takes stock of a victory that always seemed his to lose, he will know it is his second-term, one that will take him into his 73rd year, that will define his reign. There are already many who are openly questioning whether the Lancastrian is the visionary rugby needs at this time. Beaumont’s task is to surround himself with gifted administrators who can take rugby’s handbrake off and maximise its potential in growing cash-rich markets in the US, Germany and China, yet support those emerging nations much further down the financial food-chain. It is no easy task.
His inbox is already fit to burst. First will be plugging the financial gaps of a sport on its knees. Everywhere he looks, the sport is bailing out with rugby currently beached and no return date set.
A £16m government bailout to its fellow struggling code Rugby League in the UK will serve as a warning of how close rugby union will sail to going cap in hand to seek state help, much as Rugby Australia, the besieged code Down Under is having to do.
The timing of the Rugby World Cup in Japan – just months before Covid-19 took hold – will, at least, give Beaumont room to manoeuvre. There will be private Hail Marys that unlike the Euros, or the Olympic Games, their marquee event was able to take place in relative normality, give or take the odd super-typhoon.
Once the game is stabilised – and you must hope that 2021 will bring calmer waters with a highlight the Lions tour to South Africa – rugby has the usual problems to deal with; player welfare, managing spiralling wage inflation, and supporting an undernourished women’s game that is light years from the polished product it has the potential to be.
Beaumont must also use his lauded conciliatory powers to offer an olive branch to the SANZAAR unions (New Zealand, South Africa, Australia and Argentina) that uniformly threw their weight behind Pichot’s campaign for change.
For some time, there has been a feeling in the South that the Northern Hemisphere, blinded by the giddy sums of money dangled by CVC, was not sharing the spoils fairly, and whether Beaumont has the political chutzpah to force through a rejigged rugby calendar, one that would sit alongside and enhance a Six Nations competition – the game’s golden goose – remains to be seen. With Super Rugby depleted, the player drain from the South to the domestic game in the North has become a torrent with more South Africans playing in the Premiership than all the Pacific Islanders put together, leaving Australia and New Zealand feeling vulnerable and unloved.
In the Pacific Islands, an area blessed with such Godly talents that they provide 16% of all rugby union professionals, Fiji sullied their name by thrusting forward the name of Francis Kean to support Beaumont. This move threatened to besmirch Beaumont’s campaign, as his record of homophobia and manslaughter was uncovered by the inspirational Dan Leo and The Sunday Times. After being backed by Fiji and Samoa (Tonga didn’t even have a vote), you would surmise Beaumont’s camp must have come with caveats. The fact that every year there is dismay at the paucity of rewards for the travelling islanders who come to the UK’s shores to entertain the masses in November and leave with barely a dime to rub between them for their efforts. Likewise, Tier 1 tours to the islands have been far too fleeting. This disparity is something that has to be redressed before Beaumont departs in 2024, otherwise rhetoric about ‘transparency’ and ‘being united’ will feel empty and unfulfilled.
This transparency was notably absent in 2017 when the ‘closed vote’ for the 2023 World Cup handed the tournament to France, when an independent committee had recommended South Africa. It was a low point in a sport that has struggled to rid itself of its old-boys network tag.
With Bernard Laporte said to be pivotal in securing the World Cup for France, and a key protagonist in securing the pivotal votes as Beaumont’s running mate, he is now in a position as kingmaker to the governance of the game and there will be acute interest as to his motives.
So long a bitter enemy of the world’s richest league, the Top 14, in his guise as FFR president, Laporte and Beaumont will have to rejig the international calendar mindful that the game’s two most powerful independent domestic leagues have grand ambitions of their own. The club v country debate is as old as the hills, and the two must figure out how best to work together at a time when a collision course seems unavoidable, with international Tests and domestic League to be finished by the end of the year to avoid financial meltdown.
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If this fixture pile-up can somehow be navigated, the elephant in the room is the disjointed global calendar that to outsiders must seem loola. World Rugby’s doomed Nations Championship, was torpedoed by the Six Nations committee, last year but there are suggestions it is already having work done under the hood and is set to be reprised. It will be given go-faster stripes with a few minor tweaks in the hope it appeals to a wider church.
This pandemic-enforced impasse has given rugby time to think, time to reflect, it has exacerbated the many fault lines that exist in rugby, but it has also promised opportunity. To quote Vladimir Lenin, ‘there are decades where nothing happens, and there are weeks when decades happen’. Well this is rugby’s moment. Administrators have chosen to put their faith in Beaumont and he has to grasp the opportunity or risk becoming obsolete; a failed professional sport. The stakes could not be higher. You can but wish him luck.
Comments on RugbyPass
Very unlikely the Bulls will beat Leinster in Dublin. It would be different in Pretoria.
1 Go to commentsI think it is a dangerous path to go down to ban a player for the same period that a player they injured takes to recover. Players would be afraid to tackle anyone. I once tackled my best friend at school in a practice match and sprained his ankle. I paid for it by having to play fly-half instead of full-back for the rest of that season’s fixtures.
5 Go to commentsJust such a genuine good bloke…and probably the best all round player in his generation. Good guys do come first sometimes and he handled the W.Cup loss with great attitude.
2 Go to commentsWord in France is that he’s on the radar of a few Top14 clubs.
2 Go to commentsGet blocking Travis, this guy has styles and he’s gonna make a swift impact…!
1 Go to commentsWhat remorse? She claimed that her dangerous tackle wasn’t worthy of a red! She should be compensating the injured player for loss of earnings at the minimum. Her ban should include the recovery time of the injured player as well as the paltry 3 match ban.
5 Go to commentsArdie is a legend. Finished and klaar. Two things: “Yeah, yeah, I have had a few conversations with Razor just around feedback on my game and what I am doing well, what I need to improve on or work-ons. It’s kind of been minimal, mate, but it’s all that I need over here in terms of how to be better, how to get better and what I am doing well.” I hope he’s downplaying it - and that it’s not that “minimal”. The amount of communication and behind the scenes preparation the Bok coaches put into players - Rassie and co would be all over Ardie and being clear on what is expected of him. This stands out for me as something teams should really be looking at in terms of the boks success from a coaching point of view. And was surprised by the comment - “minimal”. In terms of the “debate” around Ireland and South Africa. Nice one Ardie. Indeed. There’s no debate.
2 Go to commentsThere’s a bit of depth there but realistically Australian players have a long way to go to now catch up. The game is moving on fast and Australia are falling behind. Australian sides still don’t priories the breakdown like they should, it’s a non-negotiable if you want to compete on the international stage. That goes for forwards and backs. The Australian team could have a back row that could make a difference but the problem is they don’t have a tight five that can do the business. Tupou is limited in defence, overweight and unfit and the locks are a long way from international standard. Frost is soft and Salakai-Loto is too small so that means they need a Valentini at 8 who has to do the hard graft so limits the effectiveness of the backrow. Schmidt really needs to get a hard working, tough tight 5 if he wants to get this team firing.
3 Go to commentsSorry Morgan you must have been the “go to for a quote” ex player this week. Its rnd 6 and there is plenty of time to cement a starting 15 and finishing 8 so I have no such concerns.
2 Go to commentsGreat read. I wish you had done this article on the ROAR.
2 Go to commentsThe current AB coaching team is basically the Crusaders so it smacks of wanting their familiar leaders around. This is not a good look for the future of the ABs or the younger players in Super working their way up the player ladder. Razor is touted as innovative, forward looking but his early moves look like insecurity and insular, provincial thinking. He is the AB's coach not the Golden Oldies.
10 Go to commentsSimple reason for wanting him back. Robertson wants him as captain. Otherwise he wouldn’t be bothering chasing him. Not enough reason to come back just to mentor.
10 Go to commentsI had not considered this topic like this at all, brilliant read. I had been looking at his record at the Waratahs and thought it odd the Crusaders appointed him, then couple that with all that experience and talent departing and boom. They’ve got some great talent developing though, and in all honesty I don’t think anyone would be over confident taking them on in a playoff match, no matter how poor the first half of their season was. I think they can pull a game out of their ass when it counts.
2 Go to commentsNot a bad list but not Porecki and not Donaldson. Not because they are Tahs, or Ex Tahs, they are just not good enough. Edmed should be ahead. Far more potential. Wilson should be 8 and Valentini 6. Wilson needs to be told by his father and his coach, stop bloody running in to brick wall defence. You’re not playing under the genius Thorn any more. He’s a fantastic angle runner. The young new 8 from the Brumbies looks really good too. The Lonegrans are just too small for international rugby as is Paisami, as is Hamish Stewart at 12. Both great at Super Rugby level. Stewart could have been a great 10 if not for Brad Thorn. Uru should be there and so should Tupou. Tupou just needs good Australian coaching which he hasn’t been getting. I don’t think Schmidt will excite him.
3 Go to commentsIf he wants to come back then he should. He will be a major asset to the younger locks and could easily be played as an impact player off the bench coming on in the last 30. He is fit, strong and capable and has all the experience to make up for any loss in physical prowess. He could also be brought back with a view to coaching within the structures one day. Duane Vermeulen played until he was 37 or 38. He is now a roaming coach within the South African coaching structures. He was valuable in the last world cup and has been a major influence on Jasper Wiese and other young players which has helped and accelerated their development and growth. Whitelock could do the exact same thing for NZ
10 Go to commentsBrett Excellent words… finally someone (other than DC) has noted that Hanigan is very hard and very good at doing what Backrow should do… his performance via the Drua sauna was quite daunting for those on the other side… very high tackle count… carries with good end result… constant threat to make a good 20-25 meters with those long legs… providing his mass effectively to crunching the Drua pack… Finally he is returning to quality form… way to much injury time over the last 2 years… smart-strong-competent in his skills… caught every lineout throw aimed at him and delivered clean pass to whoever was down below… and he worked hard for the whole 80 minutes… Ned has to be in the top 5 for backrow honors… He knows what is required as he has been there before…
20 Go to commentsI think Sam Whitelock should not touch a return with a bargepole. He went out on a high, playing in the RWC Final. He would be coming back into a team that will be weaker than last years, and might even be struggling to win games, especially against the Boks. Stay in France, enjoy another year with Pau, playing alongside his brother.
10 Go to commentsRyan Coxon has been very impressive considering he was signed by WF as injury cover whilst Uru has been a standout for QR, surprised neither of those mentioned
3 Go to commentsIt’s the massive value he brings with regard team culture/values, preparation, etc. Can’t buy that. I’m hoping to see the young locks get their chance in the big games though.
10 Go to commentsAll good, Gregor, except that you neglected to mention Sam Darry amongst that talented pool of locks. In fact, given Hannah’s inexperience and the fact that Holland won’t be eligible until next year, Lord and Darry might be the frontrunners this year, to join Barrett, Tuipoluto, Va’ii and possibly Whitelock. In fact there might be room for all of them if Barrett played 6 (like Ollie Chessum).
10 Go to comments