International Rugby Board Chairman Bernard Lapasset has been re-elected for a second consecutive term in office by members of the IRB Council at its reconvened Interim Meeting in Los Angeles, USA, on Monday.
Lapasset, who faced opposition from current Vice Chairman Bill Beaumont, secured a majority of 14-12 from the 26 members of the Council after one round of voting.
South Africa Rugby Union (SARU) Chairman Oregan Hoskins was elected IRB Vice Chairman.
Hoskins, who faced opposition from current Vice Chairman Bill Beaumont, was elected after securing the Chairman’s casting vote following two rounds of voting which were tied 13-13.
Lapasset and Hoskins will begin their term in office on January 1, 2012.
Jeeeez, Hoskins cannot even organise a piss-up in a brewery here in SA, now he’s going to be Vice-chairman of the IRB?
Fark me sideways.
@ grootblousmile:
So, one inept MoFo joins the group of “old farts”.
Good riddance to the spineless git IMO.
Big question is, who in SA Rugby has the Testes to take SARU by the scruff of the neck and shake it up a bit?
Because I really think it needs a good shaking up.
2 @ Scrumdown:
Hoskins is NOT going to vacate his position at SARU, he will continue as is in his current role… unfortunately.
Defeated but not deflated New Zealand Rugby Union chief executive Steve Tew does not believe Bernard Lapasset’s re-election will quell rugby’s winds of change.
Lapasset was yesterday voted in for a second consecutive term as chairman of the International Rugby Board by a narrow 14-12 majority over challenger Bill Beaumont.
It was a blow to the NZRU after Tew had led the charge during the Rugby World Cup in calling for change at the top, in particular over the commercial model of the global tournament.
Tew and Australian counterpart John O’Neill voiced their long-held concern at the cost of participating in the World Cup saying it collectively cost the Sanzar unions $50 million in lost revenue.
The pair publicly backed former England captain Beaumont as the man to usher in changes, push for an independent review, and speed up a review process they felt was stalling.
However, speaking form Los Angeles, Tew said he was confident Lapasset would take on board the importance of the issues raised.
“I think Bernard has got a very clear message, not just from New Zealand, but the fact that there was a 14-12 vote suggests half the constituency of world rugby was looking for some change. You can’t get a clearer message than that and the deputy chair vote was a tie and had to be decided by a casting vote and the last two seats on the executive were ties too.
“You have two developing rugby counties in the USA and Japan now on the executive committee, so there is definitely change in the wind.
“The big issue in New Zealand was they were trying to get the World Cup timing sorted out without having finished the review work and that’s where we put our foot down and made those thoughts known.”
Tew said Lapasset would now have the NZRU’s “full support” as chairman and that there was no bad blood over the challenge to his leadership.
“It was a close election between two good people. We’ve been very up front with Bernard from the start … our board decided to back Bill and we told Bernard.
“It’s not a personal thing.”
Graham Mourie was voted back on to the IRB executive. South African Rugby Union chairman Oregan Hoskins was elected vice chairman, replacing Beaumont.
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