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Argentina legend Agustin Pichot has branded South Africa and New Zealand “selfish” over their looming agreement to stage a three-Test series next season.
Pichot concedes the extended series in South Africa, which will also involve five midweek tour matches, will bring enormous economic benefits for the All Blacks and Springboks but is concerned it will shorten the Rugby Championship and have a negative impact on Australia and Argentina.
“Unions make selfish decisions and I said it to them, that was a selfish decision,” Pichot said. “But I have to understand that they’re economically being challenged, and they need income. They thought that just by breaking away, they were going to get more genuine income.
“I don’t disagree with them on that economic part ... but again, probably that decision to go with a short strategy and that short-sighted income, out of necessity, it’s a problem in rugby. You go into a more selfish standalone business unit and at the end of the day, it will have repercussions on your partners.”
Pichot stood for election against former England captain Bill Beaumont for the chairmanship of World Rugby five years ago, missing out by five votes.
His campaign was built on growing rugby far beyond the exclusive group of tier one countries. The former halfback is no longer directly involved with World Rugby, but believes little progress has been made since he went for the top job.
Agustin Pichot makes a tackle on current Rugby Australia chief executive Phil Waugh in the 2003 World CupCredit: AP
“World Rugby meetings are in exactly the same position as when I entered in 2015 ... that’s frightening, it’s the same.
“We’re talking about strategic plans that are not happening. We talk about the USA growth, the same thing that we discussed in 2015. It’s that constant deja vu, again. I love rugby, but I will only help the Argentine Rugby Union and South America.”
Pichot remains deeply involved in Argentinian rugby and still attends games at his local club in Buenos Aires. The 51-year-old was originally a major supporter of the Jaguares franchise, whose four-season stint in Super Rugby culminated in a runners-up finish to the Crusaders in 2019.
The COVID-19 pandemic ended the Jaguares’ time in Super Rugby and Pichot cannot see them returning – especially now that Super Rugby Americas competition, which includes teams from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay, has proved a highly successful replacement.
Agustin Pichot is current CEO for growth and energy for Andrew Forrest’s Fortescue.
“No, we’re happy [to keep Super Rugby Americas],” Pichot said. “Look at the numbers: the Jaguares franchise was costing between $US5-10 million ($7.5-15m) and that’s what happens when it’s not sustainable. We won’t go into that race if we’re going to bankrupt the union.
“Look what happened in Wales [the Welsh union recently decided to cut the number of its professional clubs from four to two due to financial constraints]. The game is too expensive to just go and build teams and just go and play competitions that we cannot afford.
“We’re not going to go on that road, unfortunately. It was a great spell, we had a great time, we learned a lot. We nearly beat the Crusaders, but again, that boat has sailed, and I don’t believe now that Argentina would be good having franchises on the other side of the world. Not at the moment.”
Pichot would love to see a World Cup held in Argentina, given the existing high-quality stadia and passion for the game, but believes the game’s precarious economic issues must be resolved first.
New Zealand will likely enter into an extended three Test tour of South Africa next year, directly impacting the Rugby Championship.Credit: Getty Images
“We’ll see the challenges in the USA Rugby World Cup, hopefully that will be a success and hopefully Argentina and South America will be in the plans in the next 10 years as well,” Pichot said.
“I would love for Argentina to host a rugby World Cup, but I think World Rugby has bigger problems than deciding where a World Cup would be played.”
Pichot is currently in Shanghai for business, working as CEO for growth and energy for Andrew ‘Twiggy’ Forrest’s Fortescue. While he would love to be with his compatriots behind the goalposts at a sold-out Allianz Stadium with a thermos of mate tea, he has stayed in close contact with Pumas coach and his former Test halves partner Felipe Contepomi ahead of Saturday’s clash.
“I expect a very interesting game because when I spoke to Felipe after [last weekend’s defeat], he wasn’t happy. I’m sure that the players knew that they had that in the bag, and they should have won,” Pichot said.
“So, I’m sure that they’re going to come out really fired up. Australia has been wonderful at the moment, so it’s going to be a great game.”
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