John Jeffrey and the murky world of rugby politics

Utter balderdash of course as he played in the greatest of the modern era- the 1990 Grand Slam side with the 1984 Grand Slam one and the winning 1999 Five Nations squad- in that order making up the top three.

He may have been playing to the gallery as he made his comments -albeit over fizzy water and nibbles rather than at the top table- at Scotland’s official 2023 World Cup welcome in the gardens of the Musee Massena in Nice back in September where we waited in the searing midday heat for the Scotland squad to arrive, forty minutes late as it turned out.

Jeffrey was in the south of France in his role as vice-chairman of World Rugby after being voted in as chairman Sir Bill Beaumont’s deputy back in May, 2023. At the time he was a clear favourite to make history by being named as the first Scot to be head of World Rugby in the professional era when Beaumont’s four-year term ends this November.

Down in Nice the 1990 Grand Slam legend made a speech to greet Scotland, listened to a few and before he left I wished him well in his attempts to take over from Beaumont. 

I told him I assumed he would be a shoo-in being vice-chairman at present to which he replied , “ You can’t take anything for granted, Rob,’’ as he headed off with a slice of pizza in his hand to his next official World Cup function.

He may have been very wrong with his claim that the 2023 Scotland squad was the best ever but he was correct to suggest that in the murky world of rugby politics, nothing is ever straightforward.

Up until this week I still thought that Jeffrey’s appointment as head of World Rugby in place of Beaumont was a certainty. Now I am not so sure. What causes me concern is that late candidates from Ireland, Italy and in particular Australia are emerging with the English Rugby Union also sticking their oar into the selection process.

Why is it important that Jeffrey beats the lot and becomes the next chairman of World Rugby? First up, in general terms having a Scotsman in charge of one of the world’s biggest sporting bodies is a good thing. It shows we have the calibre of administrator and sporting political animal to get to the top.

Secondly, you would like to think Jeffrey -who has made clear he would serve only one term of around four years- would be able to help give Scotland a louder voice on the world stage. And before you ask the question being World Rugby vice-chairman is a bit like being Kamala Harris before Joe Biden stepped down. A prestige appointment but with little power. Being the top dog would change that for Jeffrey.

Being in charge will allow him to use his influence to give Scotland a fair crack of the whip when it comes to summer tours. For too long Scotland has been the go-to nation when World Rugby wanted a country to tour Tier-Two countries. USA, Canada, Chile and Uruguay it was this summer. It already looks like it will be Pacific Island teams next year. Enough is enough. Jeffrey could surely do a bit of horse trading to ensure Scotland play some of the major southern hemisphere nations such as New Zealand and South Africa on a regular basis in June and July.

He also would be able to build bridges on behalf of the SRU. When he got up a head of steam former SRU chief executive Mark Dodson was like a bull in a china shop. Dodson was charged with misconduct and the SRU fined £70,000 for his inappropriate and insensitive comments after a typhoon hit Japan during the 2019 World Cup. When people were dying in the natural disaster he refused to rule out taking legal action if Scotland’s match against Japan- which they subsequently lost and exited the tournament - had been called off. 

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Dodson also alienated the Irish - that animosity remains still - who claim he was so determined to ensure that Ireland didn’t get the 2023 World Cup that he gave all three of Scotland’s votes in a secret ballot to France.

Jeffrey can also see a big future growth in the women’s fifteen-a-side game and would be pushing for more investment in it but that is understandable and he won’t be the only one with that as one of his aims.

The farmer from the Borders who grew up playing sevens, a game Scotland invented, could also help give the shortened form of the game a financial boost. You may not think it needs one after capacity crowds watched Antoine Dupont lead France to Olympic gold but many countries feel the HSBC World Sevens circuit is a drain on their resources and need more backing to keep their teams going. Sadly Scotland only has a sevens team when it comes to the Commonwealth Games - if and when they ever happen again- and their players are part of Team GB. The men’s team didn’t even qualify for the Olympics while the women’s team finished a disappointing seventh and didn’t come close to picking up a medal. 

Jeffrey, 65, was at the Olympic sevens tournament in Paris but not just to watch the matches in the Stade de France. He met a few key people as he stepped up his campaign to be the next chairman of World Rugby.

I didn’t know it at the time but he had a soft campaign launch called his ‘1,000-day action plan’ during the 2023 World Cup where he wrote a letter of intent to every member of World Rugby announcing he was launching his bid to take over from Beaumont.

In Paris he stepped things up a notch by glad-handing everyone he met at the Olympics but as he did that others started to come out of the woodwork with plans to run against him. They need to officially confirm their bid by the end of this month.

Former Australian flanker Brett Robinson is on the World Rugby Council and has been flashing his eyelashes at those who fancy backing him and says he is flattered by approaches being made to him to stand against Jeffrey.

It seems those in Australia and New Zealand want their own man from their part of the globe to be head of World Rugby for a change as they are sick of northern hemisphere nations hogging the role. Rugby is always playing catch-up in Australia where other sports such as Aussie rules, cricket and rugby league are much more popular. Robinson is ready to promote rugby union more in his own country and wants to give Australia and New Zealand a bigger say. Some of us would say it is impossible for New Zealand to have a bigger say but they clearly don’t see it that way.

Our rugby rivals England haven’t helped Jeffrey’s case. The English Rugby Union are considering backing Robinson rather than Jeffrey provided the Australian makes Jonathan Webb, England’s representative of World Rugby’s Executive Board, his vice-chairman if he is elected.

To add to the mix the Italian Rugby Federation has nominated Professor Andrea Ronaldo, who played four times for Italy and is a member of the World Rugby Council, as their candidate to be the next chairman. He may be an outsider but if the Irish want to get back at the Scots for not voting for them to stage the 2023 Rugby World Cup then he could be their man.

Remarkably I am hearing that there are some within Scottish Rugby who wouldn’t be bothered one way or another if Jeffrey gets the top job or not. Those small-minded individuals make him guilty by association over what went on when Dodson was in charge. He was in the building when Dodson shamefully failed to show empathy to the family of Siobhan Cattigan following her tragic death. He was also in a senior SRU boardroom role when Dodson earned over £933,000 one year through a bonus scheme. 

He does have his supporters within the corridors of powers at Murrayfield with SRU Rugby Limited chairman John McGuigan- the man who replaced Jeffrey in the role- and Gemma Fay, who is head of women’s rugby, both strong supporters but it doesn’t look good if his own home union has detractors in their own ranks.

Having a Scot in charge of World Rugby is a big deal and it is time any bad blood is forgotten on the home front and Scottish Rugby unites behind Jeffrey to help him become the most influential person in the sport. We should all wish him well.