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Rob Kearney 1 of 2 players appointed to World Rugby's executive board

Rob Kearney on the touchline during his television analysis role during the Ireland V Scotland, Six Nations rugby union match at Aviva Stadium on March 16, 2024, in Dublin, Ireland. (Photo by Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images)

Former international players Rob Kearney and Melodie Robinson have been appointed to the World Rugby Executive Board, marking the first time that players will have representation at the highest level of the sport’s governance. The historic decision was made at a World Rugby Council meeting in Dublin on Thursday, following a nomination process conducted by International Rugby Players.

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Kearney, capped 95 times for Ireland, enjoyed a distinguished playing career that included two Grand Slams and four Six Nations Championships, along with four European Cup titles with Leinster. He also toured twice with the British and Irish Lions. Off the field, Kearney has held several directorships and previously served as Chairman of Rugby Players Ireland.

Melodie Robinson, who represented New Zealand in both 15s and Sevens, won two Rugby World Cups before transitioning to a successful broadcasting career. An advocate for the women’s game, Robinson is currently Head of Sports, Events and Partnerships at TVNZ and is also a board member of World Rugby’s EventsCo.

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The appointments of Kearney and Robinson to the Executive Board are expected to bring player perspectives directly into World Rugby’s decision-making processes, reflecting a broader commitment to engage players in the sport’s governance.

“It’s a massive honour for me to represent professional rugby players on the World Rugby Executive Board,” said Rob Kearney.

“I’m acutely aware of the responsibilities associated with this role and I’m ready to work hard to make sure the collective voice of players is heard and that players are part of the global decision-making process in our sport. The team at International Rugby Players has worked incredibly hard to get us to this point and now we must take player representation to the next level.”

Melodie Robinson said: “I’m honoured to take my seat on the World Rugby Executive board. This is a big day for me personally but it’s a huge milestone for the game. For a long time, our player associations have lobbied to have their voices heard at the top table and so myself and Rob will work hard to make sure that we make the most of this opportunity.”

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“I also intend to ensure that the women’s game is prioritised and ensure quality player representation at the highest level,” she added.

Rob Kearney and Melodie Robinson take their positions on World Rugby Executive Board with immediate effect.

International Rugby Players CEO, Omar Hassanein said: “Today is a great day for our organisation and the player movement. It’s been a long time coming and so it’s great to see Rob and Mel take their seats on the Executive Board today. I must commend World Rugby for taking this step and look forward to working with the new World Rugby Chairman and the board in the years ahead.”

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Comments

5 Comments
L
LRB 6 days ago

Also,


Rancid W@nkb@lls,


(Red Warriors new handle)


here are some of the things you've very recently called or said about, either to RI, AB's, AB fans, or Kiwis in general..


- s¢um

- pigs

- cowards

- arrogant

- cult members

- mocking beaten teams


Yet you have the pathetic audacity to claim some people (me included) have called you names.?!!


You think you're really clever & witty with your woeful snide posts, but the reality is, all you are is a sad repugnant old man that nobody likes.


You're such a pathetic moron it's actually beyond comprehension..


#pathetic-unliked-old-git

L
LRB 6 days ago

Red Warrior


Or


Rancid W@nkb@lls


as you'll be known from now on..


I've heard that tampons are expensive up in Sligo, but surely you could improvise, couldn't you use some of your least favorite non binary g-strings.?

R
RedWarrior 6 days ago

Kearney is fair and balanced and will bring an intelligent perspective and is a good choice to represent players.

L
LRB 6 days ago

"I've beaten the All Blacks - our wedding day doesn't even register"


That about sums him up..

R
RedWarrior 6 days ago

The "All Blacks" were not even mentioned in this article. Dear God, not everything is about NZ. You're like brainwashed cult members.

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J
JW 1 hour ago
'Passionate reunion of France and New Zealand shows Fabien Galthie is wrong to rest his stars'

Ok, managed to read the full article..

... New Zealand’s has only 14 and the professional season is all over within four months. In France, club governance is the responsibility of an independent organisation [the Ligue Nationale de Rugby or LNR] which is entirely separate from the host union [the Fédération Française de Rugby or FFR]. Down south New Zealand Rugby runs the provincial and the national game.

That is the National Provincial Championship, a competition of 14 representative union based teams run through the SH international window and only semi professional (paid only during it's running). It is run by NZR and goes for two and a half months.


Super Rugby is a competition involving 12 fully professional teams, of which 5 are of New Zealand eligibility, and another joint administered team of Pacific Island eligibility, with NZR involvement. It was a 18 week competition this year, so involved (randomly chosen I believe) extra return fixtures (2 or 3 home and away derbys), and is run by Super Rugby Pacific's own independent Board (or organisation). The teams may or may not be independently run and owned (note, this does not necessarily mean what you think of as 'privately owned').


LNR was setup by FFR and the French Government to administer the professional game in France. In New Zealand, the Players Association and Super Rugby franchises agreed last month to not setup their own governance structure for professional rugby and re-aligned themselves with New Zealand Rugby. They had been proposing to do something like the English model, I'm not sure how closely that would have been aligned to the French system but it did not sound like it would have French union executive representation on it like the LNR does.

In the shaky isles the professional pyramid tapers to a point with the almighty All Blacks. In France the feeling for country is no more important than the sense of fierce local identity spawned at myriad clubs concentrated in the southwest. Progress is achieved by a nonchalant shrug and the wide sweep of nuanced negotiation, rather than driven from the top by a single intense focus.

Yes, it is pretty much a 'representative' selection system at every level, but these union's are having to fight for their existence against the regime that is NZR, and are currently going through their own battle, just as France has recently as I understand it. A single focus, ala the French game, might not be the best outcome for rugby as a whole.


For pure theatre, it is a wonderful article so far. I prefer 'Ntamack New Zealand 2022' though.

The young Crusader still struggles to solve the puzzle posed by the shorter, more compact tight-heads at this level but he had no problem at all with Colombe.

It was interesting to listen to Manny during an interview on Maul or Nothing, he citied that after a bit of banter with the All Black's he no longer wanted one of their jersey's after the game. One of those talks was an eye to eye chat with Tamaiti Williams, there appear to be nothing between the lock and prop, just a lot of give and take. I thought TW angled in and caused Taylor to pop a few times, and that NZ were lucky to be rewarded.

f you have a forward of 6ft 8ins and 145kg, and he is not at all disturbed by a dysfunctional set-piece, you are in business.

He talked about the clarity of the leadership that helped alleviate any need for anxiety at the predicaments unfolding before him. The same cannot be said for New Zealand when they had 5 minutes left to retrieve a match winning penalty, I don't believe. Did the team in black have much of a plan at any point in the game? I don't really call an autonomous 10 vehicle they had as innovative. I think Razor needs to go back to the dealer and get a new game driver on that one.

Vaa’i is no match for his power on the ground. Even in reverse, Meafou is like a tractor motoring backwards in low gear, trampling all in its path.

Vaa'i actually stops him in his tracks. He gets what could have been a dubious 'tackle' on him?

A high-level offence will often try to identify and exploit big forwards who can be slower to reload, and therefore vulnerable to two quick plays run at them consecutively.

Yes he was just standing on his haunches wasn't he? He mentioned that in the interview, saying that not only did you just get up and back into the line to find the opposition was already set and running at you they also hit harder than anything he'd experienced in the Top 14. He was referring to New Zealands ultra-physical, burst-based Super style of course, which he was more than a bit surprised about. I don't blame him for being caught out.


He still sent the obstruction back to the repair yard though!

What wouldn’t the New Zealand rugby public give to see the likes of Mauvaka and Meafou up front..

Common now Nick, don't go there! Meafou showed his Toulouse shirt and promptly got his citizenship, New Zealand can't have him, surely?!?


As I have said before with these subjects, really enjoy your enthusiasm for their contribution on the field and I'd love to see more of their shapes running out for Vern Cotter and the like styled teams.

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