The previous year has been consistently labelled as "game-changing" for rugby, particularly due to the sevens format making its Olympic debut at the Games in Rio de Janeiro in August.

"Twenty-sixteen has been a special year for rugby with participation growing by a record eight per cent to more than eight million worldwide," said Beaumont.

"What’s more, there are now more than 300 million rugby fans as the sport continues to capture the imagination and inspire the next generation of players and fans.

"On the field, the feats of our players have been an inspiration to millions.

"We enjoyed a game-changing Olympic Games, where our finest sevens players inspired a whole new generation of players and fans, with research showing that 16.83 million new fans were attracted to rugby in six key markets."

England's Beaumont, elected as chairman to replace Frenchman Bernard Lapasset in May, said World Rugby will be targeting growth in emerging markets such as China, Germany and Brazil in the coming year.

It is also set to be another key 12-month period for the sport, with the Women’s World Cup in Ireland, due to run from August 9 to 27, outlined as one of the highlights.

The draw for the 2019 Men's Rugby World Cup will also be made in Kyoto in Japan in May and Beaumont feels organisers of the first-ever edition of the tournament to take place in Asia have provided a perfect platform thus far.

"In 2017 we will build on the solid foundations that are in place, with all eyes on the pool draw in Japan in May and match schedule and ticketing announcements later in the year," the Englishman said.

"Looking even further ahead, we will select the host for Rugby World Cup 2023 from an impressive list of candidates in November."

The coming year will see the implementation of new rules designed to address concerns over concussion within the sport.

From today, two new categories of dangerous tackles will carry penalty offences "to deter and eradicate high tackles".

Beaumont claims rugby remains "committed to being a leader in the priority areas of injury-prevention and concussion".

Twenty-sixteen also proved to be a strong one off the field for the sport, according to Beaumont, as Georgia, Romania and the United States became members of World Rugby’s ruling Council.

The sport’s worldwide governing body unveiled impressive pre-tax profits of £189.7 million ($232.6 million/€224 million) for the World Cup year of 2015 in December.

This was achieved on record revenue of £344.9 million ($422.8 million/€407.1 million).

"All of this will be achieved by empowering and strengthening unions through continued strong investment in all levels of the games, from grassroots participation and the retention of players, to strong and vibrant unions driving greater competition at test level," added Beaumont.

"We will continue to work hard to ensure that the decisions that we make are for the betterment of the game at all levels across all nations.

"From player welfare to the global calendar, national team eligibility, development and investment strategies, I look forward to working in partnership with the entire global rugby community in what promises to be an exciting and important 2017 on and off the field."