World Rugby has definitively turned the page on Bernard Laporte. The body announced in a press release on Thursday 11 May that the Scotsman John Jeffrey (photo above) had been elected vice-president. He succeeds the French leader, who was forced to resign after his conviction by the courts, and becomes World Rugby’s number 2 for the remainder of the current mandate, until November 2024. The 64-year-old former Scotland third-rower knows the inner workings of the body well. A former chairman of the Scottish FA and the Six Nations Tournament Committee, John Jeffrey has been a member of the World Rugby Board and governance structures since 2010. His election as vice president, combined with the recent resignation of Khaled Babbou following his retirement as president of Rugby Africa, creates two vacancies on the World Rugby Executive Board. Nominations will be received by 19 May and the positions determined by a remote voting process.
