UPDATE: Rugby Australia says it will back re-elected World Ruby chairman Bill Beaumont "one hundred per cent" despite putting their support behind his challenger, Agustin Pichot.
Beaumont won 28 of the 51 votes from the member unions in the World Rugby elections, giving him a clear majority and a second term in the top job, with Pichot garnering 23 votes.
Pichot's key supporters were the SANZAAR nations, including Australia and New Zealand, but much of the Northern Hemisphere support and that of the Pacific Islands and Japan went to Beaumont.
Despite seconding Pichot's nomination and voting for the Argentinian, Rugby Australia chairman Paul McLean said on Sunday afternoon that they would work with Beaumont.
"Rugby Australia congratulates Bill Beaumont on his re-election and we have assured him again today that he, and World Rugby have our one hundred per cent support," McLean said in a statement.
"We have been clear with Bill over our frustrations regarding the collapse of the World Nations Championship, and the reasons for the way we voted but we are absolutely committed to working with Bill and World Rugby to unlock greater opportunities to drive growth in the game globally.
"We are disappointed for Gus Pichot, who had a strong and progressive vision for the game with an emphasis on global alignment and governance reform.
"With rugby facing its greatest test in the current COVID-19 pandemic it is essential for the game to act in a unified way to deliver a sustainable future that ensures that all nations have the opportunity to grow and contribute to the ongoing success of the sport.”
Initially the result was expected to be revealed at the next council meeting on May 12 but given the result was decided in the first round, both candidates agreed for an early announcement.
Frenchman Bernard Laporte ran unopposed as vice-chairman and will be Beaumont's deputy until 2024.
Beaumont had run on a platform of "progressive reform" and part of his promises had been to relax Test eligibility rules to allow for players to return to play for tier two nations after being capped for a tier one nation.
"I am honoured to accept the mandate of the World Rugby Council to serve as the international federation’s Chairman once again and would like to thank my union and region colleagues, members of the global rugby family and, of course, my family for their full support and trust," Beaumont said in a statement.
"There's a lot of hard work to do over the next four years"
— World Rugby (@WorldRugby) May 2, 2020
Hear from re-elected World Rugby Chairman Sir @BillBeaumont pic.twitter.com/GLPkoHkM7r
"I would like to thank Gus for his friendship and support over the last four years. While we stood against each other in this campaign, we were aligned in many ways and I have the utmost respect for him. Gus is passionate about the sport and his contribution has been significant."
Beaumont described the current juncture as being "half-time" in his plans for the game.
"Over the last four years we have achieved a lot, but we are at half-time and need to press on in the second half. I have a clear mandate to work with Bernard to implement progressive, meaningful and sustainable change.
"As an organisation, we must lead, be transparent, accountable and continue to serve for all. We must be united in our drive to make this great sport even better, simpler, safer and more accessible. We must listen to players, fans, competitions, our unions and regions, and take decisions that are in the best interests of all with our strong values to the fore.
"Now is not the time for celebration. We have work to do. We are tackling COVID-19 and must implement an appropriate return-to-rugby strategy that prioritises player welfare, while optimising any opportunity to return to international rugby this year in full collaboration with club competitions for the good of players, fans and the overall financial health of the sport.
"I am determined to ensure that the spirit of unity and solidarity that has characterised our work so far in response to an unprecedented global COVID-19 pandemic, is the cornerstone of a new approach that will deliver a stronger, more sustainable game when we emerge with new enthusiasm, a renewed purpose and an exciting future."
Laporte called for the north and south to come together in the coming four years.
Felicitaciones Bill/Congratulations Bill!!!
— Agustín Pichot (@AP9_) May 2, 2020
No se dio. Gracias a todos!!!! De corazon / Not this time, thanks to all fo the support , from the bottom of my heart. #globalgame
"During this unprecedented and global COVID-19 crisis, we must act and unite unions from the north and south and the professional leagues around a common objective to define a strong and sustainable future for all," he said.
"We will pursue these reforms together and act in solidarity with the rugby family, to drive the game forward on and off the field, further the welfare of our players and make the sport more attractive and accessible."
New Zealand Rugby chairman Brent Impey congratulated Beaumont in a statement and said he hoped to see the game's powerbrokers have the courage to make changes with more than just a "limited number" of unions in mind.
"We have a great respect for Bill Beaumont as an individual, and we look forward to continuing to work with him to grow the game globally and keep rugby sustainable across all borders," Impey said.
“We are of course disappointed for Agustin Pichot as he had our vote, and it is important to us that whoever won the election will heed the calls for change to the game.
“Gus ran a strong campaign and gave his best effort in a highly principled manner and that is all that can be asked, so we are proud of him.
“There is still a level of governance reform that is overdue, and it would be good to see the courage taken to make the decisions needed to ensure the continued sustainability and success of rugby globally – not just for a limited number of Unions and regions.”
WORLD RUGBY EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Sir Bill Beaumont (Chairman)
Bernard Laporte (Vice-Chairman, Fédération Française de Rugby)
Brett Gosper (Chief Executive)
Angela Ruggiero (Independent)
Lord Mervyn Davies (Independent)
Mark Alexander (South African Rugby Union)
Khaled Babbou (Rugby Africa)
Bart Campbell (New Zealand Rugby)
Gareth Davies (Welsh Rugby Union)
John Jeffrey (Scottish Rugby)
Bob Latham (USA Rugby)
Brett Robinson (Rugby Australia).
