Former England cricket chief 'set to make rugby switch' for Six Nations top job

26 January 2023 , 14:36

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Former ECB chief Tom Harrison is reportedly set to become the new Six Nations Rugby CEO, replacing Ben Morel (Image: David Rogers/Getty Images)

Tom Harrison, the former CEO of the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), is reportedly set to become the new chief executive of Six Nations Limited.

Harrison stood down as ECB CEO in June after spending more than seven years in charge, with former Surrey and Somerset chief Richard Gould confirmed as his replacement in October.

And according to a report from Sky News, Harrison is now set to make the jump to rugby union and take charge of Six Nations Limited, who control the commercial rights and activities of the prestigious Championship.

The tournament is contested each year by England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales and the report states that Harrison's appointment 'has already been approved by the commercial board comprising representatives of the six member unions'.

Private equity firm CVC Capital Partners is also said to have approved Harrison's appointment, having paid £365 million for a 14.3% stake in the Six Nations back in March 2021.

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The report claims Harrison's work virtually tripling ECB revenue from £123m in 2014, the year before he joined, to an expected £320m by the time of his departure made him an attractive candidate for the role.

Harrison resigned as ECB CEO in June (Getty Images)

The report quoted an insider as saying: "Tom transformed the reach of English cricket by introducing a hybrid broadcast model across pay-TV and free-to-air." His role in the introduction of The Hundred was also said to have 'been of particular interest to rugby chiefs'.

The controversial tournament, which will enter its third season this year, has also attracted interest from private equity firms with ECB chair Richard Thompson confirming in December they had turned down an approach.

Reports claimed that Bridgepoint Group had offered £400m for a 75 percent controlling stake in the competition and, while Thompson would not confirm or deny the exact figures, he claimed The Hundred is worth more than £1bn.

Matthew Cooper