The conviction on corruption charges of World Rugby’s vice-president Bernard Laporte has underlined the stench of just how South Africa lost the Rugby World Cup bid for the 2023 tournament.
Questions have lingered over the years since World Rugby’s independent technical committee recommended South Africa to be the host of the 2023 showpiece event, a process that was supposed to be a fair technical look at each candidate’s ability to host the tournament.
But within 24 hours of the report being made public, France’s bid head - the same Laporte - launched a scathing attack on World Rugby and then had lengthy meetings behind the scenes to sway the voting process that would take place the next day.
And lo and behold several nations - including Rugby Africa, whose offices are housed and paid for within SA Rugby’s own headquarters - switched votes and voted for France - against the independent report of World Rugby.
There was a lot of disbelief and questions have lingered ever since of just what was offered behind the scenes to sway votes in favour of the French, and Tuesday’s verdict that not only convicted Laporte of corruption charges - but also former Rugby World Cup general manager Claude Aitcher - will only underline the belief of several close to the bid that underhanded tactics were used to secure the tournament.
Aitcher, who was sacked earlier in the year after a police raid on the World Cup headquarters and complaints about his workplace conduct, was the bid committee chairman for the France 2023 bid.
All of this will also do little to silence critics who have long called for more transparency in World Rugby, especially after the corruption scandals in Football’s governing body Fifa. World Rugby Chairman Bill Beaumont chose Laporte as his running mate when he beat out Argentinean Gus Pichot in a bitter battle for the leadership role at World Rugby, amid more claims at the time of vote-switching after lobbying behind the scenes.
While France 2023 will go ahead and South Africa’s bid will always feel it was robbed, and the reality is that the rainbow nation will probably never host a Rugby World Cup again because of its economic realities that have worsened since the bid process happened, the stench over the tournament will continue and World Rugby, unless it acts decisively, will continue to look like an old boys club where Euros, and not the game, matter more than anything else.
Laporte is now facing calls to step down from his position as French Rugby president as well - a position he can hardly hold after the verdict while World Rugby noted his withdrawal in a statement that said more about the organisation itself than anything else.
The fallout will be even wider as one of Laporte’s co-convicted - billionaire Montpellier owner Mohed Altrad is also the shirt sponsor of both the All Blacks and France. While the All Blacks have requested an urgent meeting with the sponsor, don’t hold your breath for anything to come from it.
French sports minister, Amélie Oudéa-Castéra, said that Laporte’s conviction would make it difficult for him to continue as FFR president with the World Cup looming.
“This new context prevents Bernard Laporte from being able to continue his mission under good conditions, at such a decisive moment for French rugby, as the home stretch before a Rugby World Cup, where France will receive nations from all over the world,” Oudéa-Castéra said in a statement.
Laporte, who was head coach of the French national team from 1999-2007, was accused of favouring Altrad in business deals. Altrad was found guilty on Tuesday and given an 18-month suspended sentence.
World Rugby’s executive committee had been due to on Tuesday night to determine whether he had breached its integrity code, but Laporte pre-empted that by stepping down until his appeal against the conviction is finalised.
“World Rugby notes the decision by vice-chairman Bernard Laporte to self-suspend from all positions held within its governance structures with immediate effect following his conviction by the French court in relation to domestic matters, and pending his appeal,” a World Rugby statement said.
But how he could hold onto any position in rugby after the verdict, even if his appeal succeeds, is beyond comprehension.
And France 2023, like Fifa’s Qatar 2022, will now forever be under a cloud.
And South African Rugby will forever feel the tournament was stolen from them.