DUBLIN – Australia’s Brett Robinson said it was a “proud moment” for him after he became the first chairman of World Rugby from the southern hemisphere on Nov 14, and vowed to unify all the different factions. The 54-year-old former Wallabies flanker succeeds England’s Bill Beaumont, who steps down after eight years.

Australian Brett Robinson, who was elected chairman of World Rugby on Thursday, stood on a platform of expansion and change for the game as it approaches the start of its fourth decade as a professional sport.

Brett Robinson, a former Australia back-row forward, has been elected as the first non-European chairman of World Rugby, the sport's global governing body. The 54-year-old Robinson beat Abdelatif Benazzi and Andrea Rinaldo in the voting for the most powerful position in rugby on Thursday and will succeed Bill Beaumont in the role.