Patrick McKendry: Agustin Pichot has energy to give World Rugby dinosaurs a swift kick

COMMENT:

Agustin Pichot, World Rugby's wildcard and the man who is promising true democracy within an institution that has forever set the standard for old boys' clubs, may be on a doomed mission as he makes a late run for chairman.

However, the right thing for the Sanzaar unions, including New Zealand Rugby, to do is back him.

His promise to bring equal voting rights to the table, therefore giving tier two nations the same voice as England or France on the World Rugby Council, should be enough in itself for NZ Rugby and its Australian counterpart to vote for Pichot against the status quo of Bill Beaumont. That's what they would do if they were serious about improving the lot of the Pacific nations.

But Pichot's efforts in bringing Argentina into the fold via the Rugby Championship and Super Rugby in the guise of the Jaguares should be enough of itself.

Whether those teams have added anything to either competition is not the point. It took vision and energy from the former Pumas halfback to get them there and they have since flourished, particularly the Jaguares, who made the Super Rugby final last year (Argentina are ranked 10th in the world and would no doubt prefer to be ranked above Scotland and Japan who are just ahead of them).

Pichot had great support from NZ Rugby in that mission, with Greg Peters, the former Hurricanes chief executive and Sanzaar boss, taking over the running of Argentina rugby in 2015, and former NZ boss Steve Tew and others in his organisation helping build detail and infrastructure.

Can the 45-year-old rely on New Zealand this time for the vote via electronic ballot on April 26? It's not a given, despite his ability to give the Northern Hemisphere dinosaurs a kick in the backside and therefore make the game fairer for all.

For one, he has no running mate – the 68-year-old Englishman Beaumont has French Federation president Bernard Laporte – and he may be short of detail in his manifesto as well as powerful allies.

Curiously, one of Pichot's aims is for a truly great rugby video game in order to appeal to the younger generation – the way Jonah Lomu Rugby did in 1995. He may have a point but as a plank for election it's not a solid one.

Beaumont and his allies have reacted to Pichot's challenge with a typical strategy of attempting to mollify those progressives agitating for change by hinting at just that.

The wording is significant: "Our aim is to have a more representative and diverse international federation that better serves the game, not one that is seen to only support the 'old guard'," Beaumont said.

"To achieve our aim of a strong international federation with a clear vision, we are proposing a wide-ranging governance review led by two independently appointed people.

"All major rugby stakeholders will be consulted, as will experts from outside the game, to help bring in fresh ideas and perspective."

Beaumont will be lobbying furiously behind the scenes too. Promises will be made in order to secure the comfort of those already at the top table.

Pichot may not be perfect but it's time for a change and his energy can help create that. The detail can be worked on later. NZ Rugby should take another punt.