Bill Beaumont is a former England and Fylde lock who won 34 caps for his country and Captained the team on 21 occasions. He led England to their first Grand Slam for thirty three years, in 1980 and played seven times for the British & Irish Lions. Bill won three County Championships with Lancashire before retiring from playing in 1982.

The County Championship was named in Bill’s honour in 2007 and is now known as the Bill Beaumont Cup. Bill is a Life Vice President of his former club Fylde and is heavily involved in charity work as Vice President of the Lancashire Association of Youth Clubs, SPARKS and the Lord Taverners. He is also Honorary President of the rugby charity ‘Wooden Spoon.’

Through his IRB work, Bill travels the world promoting the game of rugby union and the IRB global charity, the United Nations World Food programme. Bill was voted into the IRB International Rugby Hall of Fame in 2003.

Bill has continued to run the family textile business in addition to fulfilling a successful broadcasting career with the BBC, notably through his appearances on A Question of Sport.

He has dedicated a significant amount of his time to rugby union through a number of important administrative roles, all unpaid, including:  representing Lancashire on the RFU Council; representing the RFU on the IRB Council, being Director of the Six Nations and Rugby World Cup and in 2005 being Tour Manager for the British & Irish Lions tour to New Zealand.

Bill Beaumont was the recipient of the CBE for services to rugby union in England.

The new Chairman said:  “I am honoured to be elected Chairman of the Six Nations Council.  It is a privilege to be involved with the biggest annual rugby competition in the world.  I would like to thank the outgoing Chairman, David Pickering for his work over the last four years and I look forward to working with him and the rest of the Council”.

Pat Whelan (IRFU) was elected Vice Chairman at the same meeting with immediate effect.

Pat Whelan is a former international hooker who won 19 caps for Ireland between 1975 and 1981 during his career.  The Garryowen club member and Limerick native also represented Munster, being a member of the side that defeated New Zealand in 1978 in Thomond Park. 

As well as an impressive playing record for both country and province, he also has served Irish Rugby with distinction in various roles as an administrator, including selector and manager to the Ireland team.  He was instrumental in the establishment and the ongoing development of the professional provincial academy structures in Irish Rugby. 

Whelan was also part of the IRFU management groups that worked on the development of both the Aviva Stadium and Thomond Park Stadium, acting as Chairman of Thomond Park Stadium Company Ltd since its inception in 2008, overseeing the €40 million redevelopment programme

He is a member of the IRFU Management Committee and Performance Committee that reviews professional and representative team performances. He became one of the Ireland representatives on the Six Nations Council in 2008 and also the Ireland representative on the International Rugby Board where he sits on the rugby subcommittee of that council.