‘No bailouts for SANZAAR nations’ – Agustin Pichot

David Skippers

KYOTO, JAPAN - MAY 10: Fujio Mitarai, Chairman of the RWC 2019 Organising Committee receives the William Webb Ellis cup from Agustin Pichot, Vice-Chairman of World Rugby during the Rugby World Cup 2019 Pool Draw at the Kyoto State Guest House on May 10, in Kyoto, Japan. Photo by Dave Rogers - World Rugby/PARSPIX/ABACAPRESS.COM

World Rugby vice-chairman Agustin Pichot said the governing body won’t bail out SANZAAR nations that are struggling financially due to Covid-19.

Pichot said the four leading southern hemisphere countries – Argentina, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa – must work in tandem to emerge from the crisis, and used the example of Rugby Australia collapsing financially and sparking an international domino impact.

If the Pumas, Wallabies, All Blacks and Springboks play no rugby in 2020 it would create a combined financial deficit of about £400 million, Pichot estimated, something World Rugby couldn’t hope to cover.

It made the battle to put a stop to Covid-19 critical for the sport in the southern hemisphere whose unions must remain unified according to the former Argentina scrum-half and captain.

“Because if Australia falls, then it hits straight to New Zealand first, then it will hit South Africa and Argentina. So we all fall,” said Pichot on Sky Sport New Zealand’s The Breakdown programme.

“There’s no individual way. The first issue we need to address is coronavirus and mitigate it.

“It’s not about World Rugby giving handouts, because there’s no handout possible. World Rugby does not have the 400 million pounds.”

Pichot said rugby’s enforced break should cause SANZAAR to do assessments on the ongoing profitability and viability of its competitions, even in the short term.

He also feels the time is right to assess the value of introducing Japan and Fiji to a new-look Rugby Championship.

Pichot suggested Super Rugby’s entire blueprint could be addressed, and said he wondered if the Buenos Aires-based Jaguares can afford to remain in that tournament if international travel becomes prohibitive.

“Maybe you find out that that competition cannot be played because it is not profitable or is too much of a burden,” he added.

“Even in Argentina, can we really afford to carry on Super Rugby with the Jaguares having to pay for the trips all round the world?

“Maybe we have to fold Jaguares and look for other alternatives.”

Pichot announced at the weekend that he will challenge Sir Bill Beaumont of England for the World Rugby chairmanship and the Argentinian is set to garner support from the southern hemisphere nations.

Beaumont has pledged a major review of World Rugby to transform it into a voice for all countries, not just the traditional powers of the sport, and wants to revisit a global season competition structure that failed to take off last year.

Pichot, the underdog when votes are tallied on April 26, has staked his bid on a modern, more inclusive game that incorporates private investment and gives emerging nations more power.

“In the last year or year and half, I’ve been challenging the system from the inside, but I couldn’t get traction,” he said.

“I thought the establishment was pushing me out a little bit, to be honest.”