Brett Robinson, a former Australia back-row forward, was elected as the first non-European chairman of World Rugby, the sport’s global governing body, on Thursday.

The 54-year-old Robinson beat Abdelatif Benazzi and Andrea Rinaldo in the voting for the most powerful position in rugby and will succeed Bill Beaumont in the role.

Robinson won following two rounds of voting at a meeting of the World Rugby council in Dublin, ultimately edging Benazzi — the former France No. 8 — 27-25 in the second round. Rinaldo, an ex-Italy lock and widely presumed to be the outsider in the election race, was knocked out after the first round.

Robinson has been a member of World Rugby’s executive board since 2016 and his appointment ensures some continuity ahead of a period when Australia will be in the rugby spotlight.

The British and Irish Lions tour Down Under next year and the men’s World Cup will be staged in Australia in 2027. Rugby sevens should be on the Olympic schedule for the Summer Games in Brisbane, Australia, in 2032.

Born and raised in Morocco, Benazzi presented himself as a champion of the global game and someone who could broaden rugby’s appeal beyond its traditional strongholds and into regions like his native Africa.

In Robinson, World Rugby is set to have a more conservative chairman than Benazzi would have been.

After his win, Robinson said he would aim to deliver, among other things, “financial sustainability across all member unions” and “competitions that drive audience engagement and commercial outcomes.”

He said he was committed to make rugby a “contemporary global sport.”

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