Chairman Gareth Davies has revealed the Welsh Rugby Union has supported Sir Bill Beaumont to be re-elected as World Rugby chairman.
Beaumont is standing for re-election against World Rugby vice-chairman Agustin Pichot, with an official announcement on 12 May.
"At a meeting of the Welsh Rugby Union Board last week we discussed the upcoming elections for the next World Rugby chair, to be contested by Bill Beaumont and Agustin Pichot.
We have also consulted both the Professional Rugby Board (PRB) and our own executive board for their views.
As always, it is vitally important to us that due and proper process is followed in the governance of our game in Wales and I would like to formally confirm to our members clubs the Board’s conclusion to support Bill Beaumont in his bid to be re-elected for a further term.
We have spoken to both candidates and assessed their manifesto commitments in turn. We have digested the dynamic drive for change presented by Agustin and understood the commitment to progress, but also stability and the steady hand provided by Bill.
Some members of our Board expressed direct support for Bill and others acceded to take their steer from those of us who are closest to the issues at play. There were members of both our exec board and the PRB who expressed a preference for Agustin, and this was by no means a ‘one horse race’ in the Board’s eyes, but our final collective decision was reached based on evidence provided, due diligence and research of each candidate.
We are strongly of the belief that this was the proper way to conduct ourselves, just as when we were deciding on how to vote for the 2023 Rugby World Cup host candidates – where we followed the recommendations of the technical evaluation conducted by World Rugby – we have followed the evidence before us and, we are sure, backed the best candidate for the job."
The WRU has three votes out of the 51 cast, with all going to Beaumont. Each of the national bodies that make up the Six Nations have three votes to use in the election.
It has been reported that Rugby Europe has also pledged its support for Beaumont, but former Argentina scrum-half Pichot is being championed by the southern hemisphere Sanzaar countries (South Africa, New Zealand, Australia and Argentina), and has also positioned himself as a campaigner for emerging nations as he looks to shake up rugby's establishment.
Davies is himself set to be re-elected to World Rugby's executive committee. The former Wales captain was one of eight nominations for seven positions, but with Fiji's Kean out of the running, Davies is among seven candidates in line to be elected unopposed on 12 May.
Meanwhile the most recent WRU weekly update also referenced the election to find a new WRU National Council Member which was suspended due to restrictions imposed by COVID-19 pandemic, with three nominees – Nigel Davies, Ieuan Evans and John Manders - in the running.
"It is our intention to complete the election as soon as practicable and to do so before any other election that is required this year," read the statement.
"We are acutely aware that cancelling our current season means clubs are not meeting and that their main concerns at this time are financial. Some clubs have not had the opportunity to meet candidates or discuss their credentials and there are also no district meetings taking place. Whilst it would be possible to campaign, canvass and even vote entirely through postal and electronic means this does not currently seem like the fair and proper way to do things. Not least because the WRU Articles do not currently provide for the ability to undertake the election electronically.
"It is envisaged that Welsh rugby may be in a better position to achieve a fair election around the July period – still some months before our scheduled Annual General Meeting in October – but if we get to that stage and less progress has been made than expected in terms of our community game then we will rethink the situation."
