Brett Robinson leaving the field for the Brumbies in 1997.Credit: Andrew Meares
The Brisbane-based businessman, who is currently chief executive of RetireAustralia, would require a majority of votes from the 52-member World Rugby council to win the chairmanship. Robinson this week flew to Paris where World Rugby meetings are scheduled, and with most of the voting member unions also on hand to watch the Olympic sevens, Robinson will no doubt be doing some soundings.
The Six Nations unions have three votes each, as do Australia and the other SANZAAR unions plus Japan. Canada, Georgia, Samoa, Romania, United States and Uruguay each have one vote. The remaining votes are made up by the six regional associations representing Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, South America and Oceania, with two votes each.
In Robinson’s favour is the fact he will be seen as a more moderate candidate than the feisty Argentinian Agustin Pichot, who unsuccessfully ran for World Rugby chair in 2020, and that he can also be seen as a modern candidate against the 65-year-old Jeffrey.
Jeffrey is currently the World Rugby vice-chairman but sources familiar with World Rugby politics, who declined to comment due to confidentiality concerns, have a belief the Six Nations won’t automatically back the Scotsman as a bloc, particularly at a time when world rugby is developing new strategies around global competitions and new markets, and trying to focus on fan engagement with rule innovations.
It would also be a major coup for rugby in Australian and New Zealand, whose struggle in the fight against domestic rivals is largely ignored in Europe.
Former Rugby Australia boss John O’Neill, who served on World Rugby’s executive committee for 14 years, said Robinson would be a strong candidate for World Rugby chair.
“I think it would be an absolute breath of fresh air to have someone with Brett’s credentials in the role – both rugby credentials and professional credentials,” O’Neill told this masthead.
“His rugby career is well known to all of us. He captained the Brumbies, played for Australia, he worked with me as Head of High Performance at the ARU, he is a doctor of medicine, a doctor of philosophy and a successful businessman. He is also of an age where he is a modern thinker and unshackled in exploring ways and means and opportunities to make the game of rugby more popular, and safer.
“I know he is held in the highest regard by other around the World Rugby council, and executive committee. He has certainly not been warming a seat – he has been a significant contributor.”
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Robinson said that, in his view, the game should be led by a chair who “can create the right culture, built on good governance – driving a high-performing board, good communication with member unions and overseeing a consultative and accountable executive.”
“[The chair must be] capable and commercially driven, possessing the financial expertise to run a global business, as well as scrupulous in terms of integrity,” Robinson said in a statement. “[And] contemporary and player-focused, determined to drive reform to modernise the ‘shape of the game’ whilst ensuring the game continues to respond to player safety and welfare issues …[and] has the commitment and energy to set a course and see it through.”
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