Former England captain Sir Bill Beaumont has been re-elected as the chairman of World Rugby for another four years.

The 68-year-old defeated his former deputy, ex-Argentina skipper Agustin Pichot, by 28 votes to 23.

French Rugby president Bernard Laporte has been elected vice-chairman.

"I am honoured to accept the mandate of the World Rugby Council to serve as the international federation's chairman once again," said Beaumont.

"I would like to thank my union and region colleagues, members of the global rugby family and, of course, my family for their full support.

"I would like to thank Gus for his friendship and support over the last four years. While we stood against each other in this campaign, we aligned in many ways, and I have the utmost respect for him. Gus is passionate about the sport and his contribution has been significant."

Beaumont was first elected president in July 2016, succeeding Bernard Lapasset.

He added: "Over the last four years we have achieved a lot, but we are at half-time and need to press on in the second half. I now have a clear mandate to work with Bernard [Laporte] to implement progressive, sustainable change.

"As an organisation, we must lead, be transparent, accountable and continue to serve for all. We must be united in our drive to make this great sport even better, simpler, safer and more accessible.

"We must listen to players, fans, competitions, our unions and regions, and take decisions that are in the best interests of all with our strong values to the fore.

"Now is not the time for celebration. We have work to do. We are tackling Covid-19 and must implement an appropriate return-to-rugby strategy that prioritises player welfare, while optimising any opportunity to return to international rugby this year in full collaboration with club competitions for the good of players, fans and the overall financial health of the sport.

"I am determined to ensure that the spirit of unity and solidarity that has characterised our work in response to an unprecedented global Covid-19 pandemic, is the cornerstone of a new approach that will deliver a stronger, more sustainable game when we emerge with new enthusiasm, a renewed purpose and an exciting future."