This bid for chairmanship feels like a classic Pichot manoeuvre: a quick tap

On a sun-kissed South American morning in the suburbs of Buenos Aires, a man in a baseball cap sat in his garden against the base of a tree. Like all of us, he was held captive in his own property. And yet, there were global moves afoot.

He didn’t look like someone making a tilt at the most important position in World Rugby, challenging Bill Beaumont in the election to be chairman, but as he spoke about his aims and desires for the sport he loves, Gus Pichot was open and relaxed. At one with himself, at one with the situation he has created, at one with the incredibly difficult task he has set himself.

“Why is a very good question,” he said, a laugh sidling from his mouth and his head rolled back to allow his eyes scan the azure sky. This is something those close to him – and now RugbyPass – have asked. “I always like things to be challenging. I’m from Argentina, I could have chosen to play a different sport; I was pretty good at football. But I went for rugby and was always the smallest guy on the pitch. And I have a big responsibility. I always challenged as a player, I always wanted the best system for the players. 

World Rugby election candidate Agustin Pichot appears on The Breakdown

World Rugby election candidate Agustin Pichot appears on The Breakdown

“I could have gone for the commercial stuff, media, worked for ESPN. But I wanted to grow the game… I could have waited, could have sat back for four years, travelled the world in business class, watched great rugby games. But that is not who I am. This is what needs to change about the game. We are not here to take advantage of the system – we need to change the system.”

Pichot was an iconic player. Socks rolled down, dark Latin locks tucked behind his ears, wandering eyes, an aqua and white hooped shirt that looked a little too big. And this bid for chairmanship feels like a classic Pichot manoeuvre: a quick tap.

“That’s a perfect analogy. Life is about moments. I don’t want to get too philosophical but it is part of my DNA. Time is very precious and it is critical to go now. I don’t want to be someone watching the show when I have a chance to be on the stage. I have always been that guy. I saw the opportunity and I have to go for it. Things happen when you do.”

That’s why there is no running mate. Because when you go on a run like this, people will come with you? “One hundred per cent,” he agreed, a smile slinking out from beneath his cap. But it isn’t that easy. The former scrum-half is discovering that many bureaucrats prefer the devil they know. 

How does he change the mindset of the establishment, those who have been doing what they do for so long? “By showing them that change is not against what they think; that change is not chaos. That is the tool of conservatism for the last 300 years: if you change, you’ll be punished. But of course, it’s not true. 

“If I show people that I’m not a crazy Argentinian bent on anarchy, that I want the same things they do, then they will understand where I want to go. Bristol and Richmond were two very conservative clubs in England. I turned up with my long hair and different way of playing. They made me captain. I’m not a stupid person, but I’m also not someone who just hears ‘no’ and takes that as the answer.”

The passion sits within Pichot like a blessing and a curse. It’s sensed he is very aware of how it may adversely affect those whom he seeks to persuade, but it will also inspire different ideas and bring new people to the game.

“We need to do it together. We have to work horizontally, not vertically. I have always worked like that. It is how I used to play: it wasn’t just the captain or coach who gave us instructions. We all contributed. We can’t just sit in Dublin (where World Rugby HQ is based) and push things out to people.

“We have to engage, listen and adapt, not just pass things down. We need to work horizontally as a group of rugby nations and be proactive. We’ve been reacting since 1995, 1987 even. We need to ask what people want from their governing body. We need to be more equal. Otherwise, it won’t work.”

The rugby world represents a half-formed jigsaw puzzle – some bits sit well together, others don’t seem to fit anywhere. Players are being pulled in different directions: Six Nations, Lions tours, November internationals, as well as domestic league campaigns. Wouldn’t it be easier to clear the table and start again?

EXCLUSIVE

“It is nothing against Bill, Bernard or the current regime…" @Garygoldrugby is backing @AP9_ and he tells @chrisjonespress why 👨‍💻https://t.co/TD1r8pb0o4

— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) April 19, 2020

“It comes back to mindset. If we all agree that we want the whole thing to work, then we have to have a mindset of looking at everything. We all want the sport to grow. I don’t think there is anyone involved in the sport that doesn’t want it to be bigger and better. 

“We need to explore everything, but World Rugby doesn’t tell people what to do. As a leader, you don’t do that. We work together and we need to move as fast as the slowest nation. If England or France are moving quicker than Romania, Uruguay or Canada, then the game doesn’t grow. Ultimately, we need everyone to be competitive at a World Cup.”

Speaking of which, Argentina recently stepped out the way to clear Australia’s run to host the sport’s biggest competition in 2027. It could be perceived as a way for Pichot to curry favour with the Antipodeans.

“Maybe I have miscommunicated that. I will tell you the facts. I spoke with the Argentinian government of Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner six years ago. That was when the idea was first whirring around my head. I followed it up when (Mauricio) Macri won; I went with Bill (Beaumont) to pitch the idea and it was in a very positive position. 

“Too many rugby games have been a waste of time and money, highlighting the need for better products if the sport is to really crack the video games market,” writes @CameronJDPetrie in the wake of Agustin Pichot’s comments earlier this week https://t.co/FLcvkcI26P

— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) April 16, 2020

“But since that meeting, Argentina has endured huge financial problems (even before the coronavirus) and we were left thinking, how can we ask the government, the Argentinian taxpayer, to write a cheque for this bid? It just wasn’t possible. It wasn’t the right time for Argentina to host a World Cup. 

“We haven’t spoken to Rugby Australia about anything. I haven’t done any trade-off. I have never traded on any position I’ve held. I want a World Cup in the Americas more than anything else. I’m sorry but the wrong message has been received.”

What of the alleged lobbying from people like Bath owner Bruce Craig? “I haven’t spoken to Bruce since San Francisco (2017). But I have a good relationship with him. I have a good relationship with lots of owners, but this is not about the clubs winning or losing. 

“Again, it’s about everyone talking and listening to each other. We can get the best for them and for international rugby, but we have to work together. The (global) calendar needs more work. I said that. It needs to look after the emerging nations more. We need to keep listening.”

Developments in the controversy surrounding the Fijian rugby chairman https://t.co/Vu6VHD6alr

— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) April 21, 2020

The more you listened to Pichot, the more his character came through. He was resolute and tenacious, and yet there was softness about his aspect that warmed the soul: romantic but pragmatic, fair and unfazed by the scale of the challenge.

“I’ve been like that since I was a player. To be a part of a team, everyone has to know and trust each other, you have to open yourself up. In my last game for Argentina, the 3rd/4th playoff in the 2007 World Cup, that is what I said to the team: ‘You have my heart in your hands…’ 

“You can see it, it’s recorded. They knew everything about me: my good, my bad. That achievement, of being third in the world as an emerging nation, of beating France twice on home soil, was all down to integrity. We were able to do that because we knew each other. And if you want to achieve something special, that is how it needs to be. There needs to be more talking, more honesty, more transparency.”

Pichot claimed not to worry about losing the election against Beaumont. He would be perfectly happy back on the paddock coaching the under-16s or wherever the sport takes him. He owes rugby everything and this is, as he sees it, his way of trying to repay the debt.