Leo takes aim at Laporte after he was taken into police custody

For anyone that has been a critic of World Rugby over the years, the recent revelation that vice-Chairman Bernard Laporte has been taken into police custody would have only given them more ammunition to attack the governing body. 

So for CEO of the Pacific Rugby Players Welfare organisation Dan Leo, this news has only helped his campaign against World Rugby. 

The Frenchman is being questioned about his links with the Altrad Group and his preferential treatment of Montpellier, which comes months after being elected as vice-Chairman under Sir Bill Beaumont of World Rugby, and less than two weeks before he hopes to be re-elected as president of the French Rugby Federation. 

Though the 56-year-old has already publicly defended himself in a letter on Facebook, this has provided the former Samoa international with another line of attack against the governing body. 

Leo has urged World Rugby in recent months to look into the political ties in the Fijian Rugby Union, and has also lambasted World Rugby for the level of neutrality in their governance review, in which Laporte was a member of the Working Group. 

He took aim at Laporte on Twitter on Tuesday, saying: 

“So the man under investigation for fraud & accused of fixing WR chairman election is the same B. Laporte who sits on World Rugby’s Governance Review working group?”

So the man under investigation for fraud & accused of fixing WR chairman election is the same B. Laporte who sits on @WorldRugby’s Governance Review working group?

Go figure 🤯 https://t.co/P5dPSjkmcl

— Daniel Leo (@danleo82) September 22, 2020

Leo continued, alluding to the different treatment between tier one and tier two nations in the game. He wrote: 

“Not saying we are perfect, but people do love pointing out Pacific Islands for corruption & calling for sanctions.

“Wonder what happens when it’s one of the T1 nations & VC of Rugby’s governing body itself?”

Not saying we are perfect, but people do love pointing out Pacific Islands for corruption & calling for sanctions.

Wonder what happens when it’s one of the T1 nations & VC of Rugby’s governing body itself? https://t.co/HXZCNlvdms

— Daniel Leo (@danleo82) September 22, 2020

The former Wasps loose forward has not relented in his pursuit for answers from World Rugby, and this Laporte story is yet more fodder for him that has fallen into his lap.