John Jeffrey says he feels “bitter and betrayed” after withdrawing from the race to become the next chairman of World Rugby, having failed to secure the support of the Scottish Rugby Union.
The former Scotland and Lions flanker, 65, was informed on Friday that the SRU would not be supporting his candidacy, plunging the election contest into disarray.
Jeffrey, who starred for Scotland in their Grand Slam triumph over England in 1990, has resigned all of his current positions, including World Rugby vice-chair, with immediate effect following the humiliating snub to his bid to succeed Sir Bill Beaumont.
His shock resignation leaves the door open for Brett Robinson, the former Australia flanker and current World Rugby executive board member, to win the election in November and become the first southern hemisphere chair since it became an elected position in 1996.
‘I know I was favourite to win’
“I’m very bitter. I’m very upset – very, very upset. To be beaten by your own country really, really hurts,” Jeffrey told BBC Sport Scotland.
“It came as a huge shock. It doesn’t reflect well on us as a country. People are now laughing at us – ‘you said you were standing and now you’re not’.
“I don’t know if they are laughing at me or if they’re laughing at Scottish Rugby, but they’re certainly laughing. It does not reflect well on the [SRU] board.
“There’s a lot of politics. I know I was favourite to win. There was opposition in terms of candidates from Italy, France and Australia and had I been beaten by any of them I would have shaken their hands and said ‘well done’.
“What really sticks in my throat is that I got beaten by my own country. My own country at the 11th hour have withdrawn their nomination, which beggars belief. Betrayed is not too strong a word. I’m out, I’m back to farming again.”
SRU blame Jeffery for losses
Jeffrey is thought to have asked for clarification on the decision and decided to withdraw from the race and step away from rugby after being told on Tuesday night the SRU did not think he was a suitable candidate to be World Rugby chair. It is thought they held him accountable for the SRU’s £10 million debt that was run up during the 2022-23 season.
Jeffrey is thought to also have concerns that he did not have the support of the Rugby Football Union and their Irish counterparts within the Six Nations block of votes. Both unions are understood to have delayed receiving the presentation of his manifesto.
The humiliation of failing to receive the backing of his own union is thought to stem from an internal rift within the SRU organisation, which is split into Scottish Rugby Limited and the Scottish Rugby board.
Jeffrey had been assured of the support of the chair of the Scottish Rugby Limited, John McGuigan, when rumours first surfaced six weeks ago. It appears however that the Scottish Rugby Board held the decisive vote.
“Would I have won it? I probably would, but the other candidates might say the same thing,” he added.
“I was favourite. I had the energy, drive and commitment. It was going to be hard, but I was really looking forward to it. I thought I could make a difference.
“It’s hugely damaging for Scottish Rugby. We had the chance to have somebody chairing an international sporting federation.
“My question is why are we shooting ourselves in the foot? There is bad blood [between Jeffrey and some in the SRU], but surely for the greater good of Scottish rugby you put your differences aside. But it’s not going to happen.
“We now have to go back to the drawing board. We [Scottish Rugby] will have nobody on these decision-making bodies for the next decade.”
Robinson favourite to win election
Telegraph Sport revealed in July that Robinson had been persuaded to stand by Sanzaar to stand against Jeffrey, who had announced his intention to stand during the World Cup in France last year.
The former chair of both the Scottish Rugby Union and Six Nations Council had been a World Rugby council member since 2010 and was elected unopposed as the governing body’s vice-chair in May last year after Bernard Laporte was forced to stand down from the post after being found guilty of corruption charges by a French court.
The Borders farmer has already circulated his manifesto, declaring his intention to stand for just one term, described as a “1,000-day action plan”. His vision is to ensure the game is “sustainable and growing” and vows to unlock participation, improve the experience for spectators and viewers, drive growth in new markets and move faster on diversity and inclusion.
Robinson is now the outstanding favourite to win the backing of the World Rugby council at the election in November, with the other two candidates, former France back row forward Abdel Benazzi and Andrea Rinaldo, the former Italy international, not expected to attract enough support within the Six Nations or Sanzaar to challenge the Australian.
The council, which will elect the new chair, has 52 members, including the non-voting chairman, and each of the Six Nations unions have three votes each, with a combined block of 18.
The four Sanzaar unions also have three votes each, as does Japan, with Canada, Georgia, Samoa, Romania, United States and Uruguay each with 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.
Article courtesy of
Source link
