Northern Edition

Select Edition

Northern Northern
Southern Southern
Global Global
New Zealand New Zealand
France France

Laporte wins France rugby election less than a fortnight after his police arrest

(Photo by Alain Jocard/AFP via Getty Images)

Bernard Laporte has been narrowly re-elected as France rugby president after winning 51.47 per cent of the vote on Saturday less than two weeks after he was taken into police custody by the fraud squad in Paris. 

ADVERTISEMENT

Laporte, who became World Rugby vice-president last May as part of the Bill Beaumont re-election ticket, will now keep his position in France until 2024 after opposition candidate Florian Grill fell short by polling 48.53 per cent of the vote. 

Of those entitled to have a say in the election, 95.21 per cent of the votes were cast. The result is no surprise as Laporte was for quite some time the favourite in the re-election race. 

Video Spacer

James Hook on retirement, his new book and how many Wales players will make the 2021 Lions squad

Video Spacer

James Hook on retirement, his new book and how many Wales players will make the 2021 Lions squad

In recent weeks, however, the gap between the two candidates closed and even a L’Equipe poll had Grill ahead on 52 per cent at one stage.

Laporte, though, redoubled his canvassing in the wake of his two-day questioning by the French fraud squad after he was taken into custody on September 22. 

The 56-year-old was questioned alongside Montpellier owner Mohed Altrad about his links to the Altrad Group and the alleged preferential treatment he may have given to the Top 14 side when reducing a sanction against them in 2017. 

Altrad’s company is not only the shirt sponsor of the French national team, but the billionaire offered financial support in France’s successful bid to host the 2023 Rugby World Cup. 

ADVERTISEMENT

Laporte wrote a letter on Facebook after his police release saying there was a campaign against him in his bid to be re-elected as the president of France rugby.

He said at the time: “I approached these ‘talks’ with serenity. When you have nothing to be ashamed of, you have the strength of truth with you. 

“Justice will do its work and I trust it. I know the truth of my actions and they are all in the best interests of our clubs, without ever being an exception to the rule.”

ADVERTISEMENT

LIVE

{{item.title}}

Trending on RugbyPass

Comments

0 Comments
Be the first to comment...

Join free and tell us what you really think!

Sign up for free
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest Features

Comments on RugbyPass

H
Hellhound 1 hour ago
South Africa will beat England at a canter

You forget that this was the 3rd Test between the AB's and the English this year. They were prepared and they knew how to keep NZ quiet. The Boks is not NZ.


The Boks is a whole other level. You overestimate England and underestimate the Boks. Clearly you haven't really looked at the teams. Besides the Irish games earlier this year, the Boks have mainly used experimental sides, even against the AB's.


Now they have chosen their best team available. They have targeted this game. The Boks mean business. Man for man, this Bok team is better. In strategy and player abilities there is no comparison and they are outmatched.


There isn't just monster strength, but unreal speed. In broken play there is currently no better team as well as defensively, not to even talk about the attacking threat, both from front and the back.


I'd say read between the lines, see what everyone is seeing, but clearly you are wearing blinders and is also putting too much emphasis on an AB's team the Boks beat twice this year, the same AB's that beaten England 3 times this year.


When Rassie gets serious, the players become machines. There is no stopping them. That bench is loaded with players that is fast, strong and have exceptional skills. This is a team not many teams will face before the 2027 WC, because the Boks doesn't use their best between WC's in one game. All experimental.


You will be proven wrong on Saturday and then you will wonder how you could have been so wrong. This Bok team means serious business. They came to conquer and not just by a close score. They want to demolish and they will. This England team at most is a 60 min team. Against the Boks that just won't cut it

14 Go to comments
H
Hellhound 1 hour ago
South Africa will beat England at a canter

Not bizarre, but needed. Everyone usually lifts their game against the Boks. Now instead of facing reality, they prefer to live in the past and look hopefully toward the score of the WC semi, hoping they can recreate that result and by some miracle snatch a victory.


It's better than the alternative knowing what is going to happen. Especially looking at the experimental squads the Boks put up against the Wallabies in the RC, not using their best team. That same Wallabies beat them last week.


Now the Boks isn't using an experimental squad. They put out as close to the strongest team the Boks have available at the moment. That must scare the pants off of them. If an experimental squad can destroy the Wallabies, what would the strongest team be able to do to the English?


Instead of sinking into dispear, they prefer to hope that their players can match the Boks. Even though they know what is coming. The English are scared and they won't show it.


Now imagine how Wales must feel knowing they are up next weekend? They don't even have the dubious record of at least close losses like the English. It's a complete nightmare for these 2 countries and rightly so.


The Boks usually take the pedal of the medal post WC's, but not this Bok team. They are better than the WC winning Boks of both '19 and '23. They are stronger up front. They are faster at the back. They can hit front and back. In broken play they are the most dangerous team. They have the best defence and attack also scoring the most tries.


In a way I feel sorry for both the English and Wales. Only those with blinders on expects a close game. Looking at both teams man to man, strategy to strategy, play to play, they are so outmatched it would be a joke if it wasn't so serious. We need the NH to be strong and we need the gap to become closer in rugby so the game stay exciting because runaway scores sometimes is fun, but it doesn't bring as much joy as a close game won.

14 Go to comments
TRENDING
TRENDING Veterans return for All Blacks as team to play France named All Blacks team to play France
Search