Greg Peters has resigned as chief executive of Sanzar, the umbrella body for the Australian, New Zealand and South African rugby unions, to take up a new position as general manager of the Argentinian Rugby Union (UAR).
Peters will take up his new role on July 31 under a contract that runs through to December 31, 2018. One of the key remits of his position with the UAR will be to oversee the introduction of an Argentinian franchise into the Super Rugby club competition next year.
The addition of Argentinian and Japanese franchises to the Super Rugby pan-regional competition was officially confirmed in November, with Tokyo set to share hosting rights to the latter team with Singapore, and Buenos Aires to house the club in Argentina. The tournament currently features five teams each from South Africa, New Zealand and Australia, but will expand to 18 teams from 2016 through the addition of the new clubs from Argentina and Japan, along with one from South Africa.
Peters played a key role in overseeing Super Rugby’s expansion and also handled Argentina’s introduction to the southern hemisphere's annual national team competition, the Rugby Championship, alongside the three founder members of Sanzar for the 2012 season.
Commenting on his new role, he said: “My role will be to assist and support the board of the UAR. I am counting on 18 years of experience in professional rugby and management, which will be useful for the UAR. I come to add value to the future and to assist in the strategy being conducted by the union to move forward.”
Agustin Pichot, Argentina’s representative in World Rugby and Sanzar, added: “The arrival of Greg at the UAR will help us continue to improve on this path we have been traveling for several years. His contribution will be essential to achieve a smooth integration of our franchise in Super Rugby next year, both in sporting and operational terms.”
Sanzar will immediately start looking for a replacement for Peters, who was the first chief executive of the regional body.
