
British model Cara Delevingne in a current advert for Tag Heuer -- the slogan was penned in 1990 by rugby-player-turned-ad-man Brett Gosper.

Now CEO of World Rugby, Gosper believes the sport is facing its biggest year.

For the first time in 92 years, rugby will be played at the Olympics and, for the first time in its history, in the sevens format.

Gosper has been using the lure of the Olympics to tap into new global markets for the game.

Japan, which hosts the next World Cup in 2019, is a case in point. Rugby's popularity there spiked after the Cherry Blossoms shocked South Africa at last year's tournament in England.

While Gosper says his focus is on Rio and Japan, he acknowledges the game faces key battles with doping and concussion.

A former player himself, Gosper spent much of his career playing for Racing in Paris where he also doubled up with a successful advertising career.

He admits to playing the All Blacks, world champions again last year, on three occasions and losing every time.

The World Rugby role has taken him into close proximity with his father Kevan, an honorary IOC member who was brought in to lead the clean-ups of FIFA and the IAAF.