The incumbent Sir Bill Beaumont is standing for a second four-year term and had promised a major review of the way the governing body is run if re-elected, including a fresh look at eligibility rules which restrict players to representing one country for life.
He is being challenged by his deputy, former Argentina halfback Agustin Pichot, who has proposed a greater voice and more top-level matches for emerging nations, such as Fiji, Samoa and Tonga, and said the Covid-19 pandemic was an opportunity for the global realignment of the sport.
