“If we want to have the power to influence the major decisions to come…”: a French rugby legend is a candidate to lead World Rugby

Benazzi veut être président de World Rugby. MAXPPP

L'ancien capitaine du XV de France Abdelatif Benazzi a annoncé dimanche 8 septembre, dans un entretien au Midi Olympique, sa candidature pour devenir président de World Rugby, dont l'élection est prévue en novembre.

“I am now a candidate for the presidency of World Rugby”, declared the former third row who has 78 caps for the blue jersey.

Committed alongside the current president of the FFR Florian Grill for the federal elections to be held in October, Benazzi could succeed the Englishman Bill Beaumont, in office since 2016 at the head of the international body of world rugby and who is coming to the end of his second term.

He could be the third Frenchman at the head of World Rugby

"If we want to have the power to influence the major decisions to come, we must therefore aspire to the position of chairman, for which I am now a candidate", he added. If elected, the former Agen and Saracens player will become the third Frenchman to lead World Rugby after Albert Ferrasse (1979-1987) and Bernard Lapasset (2008-2016).

But the man currently in charge of international relations at the FFR will be competing with former Australian international Brett Robinson, Italian Andrea Rinaldo and Scottish John Jeffrey, who have also declared themselves candidates for the presidency of World Rugby.