USA Rugby and its Board of Directors have announced the appointment Agustín Pichot as World Rugby's representative on the USA Rugby Board.
As the international federation's Vice Chairman and President of Rugby Americas, Pichot is the World Rugby nominated candidate to represent the global organization on the USA Rugby board. In line with a package of investment and support measures recently agreed between USA Rugby and the Executive Committee, Pichot will assist the union's governance and commercial restructure and accelerate the development of the sport in the United States.
Pichot was the former scrumhalf and captain of the Argentinian national team and a huge star - he is in the World Rugby Hall of Fame as a player. His job now will be to help oversee some serious issues without USA Rugby.
"Welcoming Agustín to USA Rugby is an incredible step forward for American rugby," said USA Rugby Chair, Barbara O'Brien, "He has a first-hand understanding for the development of rugby and after a storied playing career; owns a genuine passion for the advancement of the game."
With World Rugby having run a line of credit for USA Rugby in the wake of the latest financial crisis (related in part to being on the hooker for a massive payout to Wales and South Africa for the two nations' June 2 test match), the international governing body now has a seat at the table in the United States, in part to guard its investment.
USA Rugby got a financial reprieve of sorts at the end of July with a very successful Rugby World Cup 7s, during which the event reports attendance of over 100,000. (That's not to say 100,000 different people paid to attend - people who attended each of the three days were counted three times, and non-paying attendees are also counted in this number, but the paid attendance was still impressive.)
Big crowd big games at #RWC7s ... @USARugby v @EnglandRugby coming up soon pic.twitter.com/XQ9LGNEUwF
— FloRugby (@FloRugby) July 21, 2018
But there are more issues on the horizon. An ambitious and growing national team (all levels and both genders) schedule will cost money, and there's reason to believe that membership income might not reach projections. Already USA Rugby has run into issues where big events (Wales vs South Africa), or budget errors (failure to manage the Men's Eagles' 2015 expenditures) can dig a very deep hole for an organization that habitually wants to end the fiscal year with little or no surplus.
That can lead to serious deficits, and it has happened several times over the past 12 years or so. Pichot's presence means World Rugby is watching much more closely.
"I am excited to be joining the USA Rugby Board as World Rugby's representative," said Pichot. "Collectively, we are focused on making USA Rugby the best it possibly can be, providing foundations for sustainable participation, fan and commercial growth within one of the world's most competitive and rewarding sports and entertainment markets.
"As the World Rugby representative on the Board, I look forward to sharing my knowledge and providing access to World Rugby's technical, development and governance expertise to provide the best-possible opportunity to the USA and cement its place as a major player in global rugby."
