Wellington Hurricanes chief executive Greg Peters has been appointed the first permanent head of southern hemisphere rugby’s governing body, the organisation said on Tuesday.
South Africa New Zealand Australia Rugby (Sanzar) had previously been administered on a rotational basis between each of the three member unions.
New Zealand is currently tasked with the administration of the Super rugby and Tri-Nations competitions.
The Super rugby competition will move to a 15-team conference based system next year with the addition of the Melbourne Rebels, while the Tri-Nations is to expand to a four-team competition in 2012 to include Argentina.
Peters, who has led the Hurricanes since 2006 and had previously spent eight years in various roles with the New Zealand Rugby Union, will relinquish his Wellington role and take up his new Sydney-based job on November 1.
“It’s rare to have an opportunity such as this one to lead a major rugby organisation through a significant growth phase,” Peters said in a Sanzar statement.
“I am sure there will be challenges but that’s what makes sport so compelling, and the strength of the Sanzar alliance and the major competitions speak for themselves.
“The Tri-Nations features the three top-ranked teams in world rugby and we are about to welcome Argentina who finished third in [the 2007] World Cup.
“In Super rugby, we have the world’s most demanding cross-border provincial rugby competition and that intensity is set to increase with the new conference model, so there is no more exciting time to get involved.” – Reuters