11 Nov 2011

IRB election date set

9:31 am on 11 November 2011

The International Rugby Board has announced that the recently postponed vote to decide the positions of chairman and vice chairman will take place in Los Angeles on December 12th.

The original Interim Meeting of the IRB Council meeting in Auckland on October 19th was adjourned in order to defer the vote with officials reportedly concerned that the political tussle between current chairman Bernard Lapasset and vice chairman Nill Beaumont was overshadowing the climax of the Rugby World Cup.

Lapasset is hoping to secure a second term in office but is being challenged by former England international Beaumont with support understood to be evenly split between the two candidates.

Beaumont has reportedly attracted the support of both Australia and New Zealand with a promise to reform the IRB's commercial model while South Africa appear to favour Lapasset with president Oregan Hoskins set to stand as the Frenchman's vice chairman.