Australian Brett Robinson voted in as first non-European chairman of World Rugby

By STEVE DOUGLAS The Associated Press

Brett Robinson, a former Australia back-row forward, has been elected as the first non-European chairman of World Rugby, the sport’s global governing body. The 54-year-old Robinson beat rivals Abdelatif Benazzi and Andrea Rinaldo in the voting for the most powerful position in rugby and succeeds Bill Beaumont in the role. Robinson won following two rounds of voting at a meeting of the World Rugby Council in Dublin and will serve a four-year term. He has been a member of World Rugby’s executive board since 2016 and his appointment ensures some continuity ahead of a period when Australia will be in the rugby spotlight. The British and Irish Lions tour Down Under in 2025 and the men’s World Cup will be staged in Australia in 2027.