Wellington (AFP)

World rugby's governing body, World rugby, on Thursday called "unfounded and erroneous" the findings of an NGO report saying the May re-election of England's Bill Beaumont was "manipulated" and tainted with "corruption".

The report by the NGO Pacific Rugby Player Welfare (PRPW), which since 2016 has been helping professional players from Samoa, Tonga and Fiji playing in European championships, estimates that World rugby leaders are knowingly ignoring corruption in the federations of the islands of Peaceful. He calls for an independent review of the May election, when outgoing president Englishman Bill Beaumont was re-elected to pro-reform candidate Argentina Agustin Pichot by 28 votes to 23.

The PRPW cites press articles, notably from the newspaper L'Equipe, revealing that the French Rugby Federation (FFR), which has supported Beaumont and offered its president Bernard Laporte the vice-presidency of World Rugby, has negotiated promises of matches or camps for the National Under-20 team in exchange for their vote.

The PRPW "argues that this alleged deal may amount to corruption and suggests that the election was deliberately manipulated."

World Rugby on Wednesday rejected the allegations, calling them "unfounded and erroneous" as Bill Beaumont "was elected through a fair process".

PRPW's 59-page document also details a series of elements that it says allowed corruption to take hold in Fiji, Samoa and Tonga, creating an exodus of players to lucrative leagues.

"One of the most fertile grounds in the world for rugby talent continues to be subject to notions of colonial rights, which must now be relegated to the dustbin of history," it writes.

According to the NGO, the federations of the Pacific islands are undermined by a process of "state capture" with senior government officials confiscating decision-making positions.

The PRPW, which shares its "recommendations to end the glaring gaps in the governance of world rugby" also highlights the lack of diversity within the 12 members of the World rugby executive committee.

"There are more men with the name + Brett + in it than women or people from ethnic minorities," he notes.

He also criticized the independence of the commission in charge of the review of the governance of world rugby launched last month with at its head the former British sports minister, Hugh Robertson.

© 2020 AFP