WHARFEDALE 's John Spencer is in line to become Rugby Football Union president in 2017-18.

The news was announced at the RFU's annual meeting last Friday, with the 67-year-old being confirmed as their junior vice-president for 2015-16.

All things being equal, former England international Spencer, who is president of the National League One club, will be RFU senior vice-president in 2016-17 before getting the top job in 2017-18.

"It is a presidential ladder but both the RFU senior-vice presidency in 2016-17 and the RFU presidency in 2017-18 have to be voted on at RFU annual meetings next summer and the summer after," explained the Grassington-born solicitor.

"The senior vice-president attends functions, meetings and tours that the RFU president cannot get to, and the junior vice-president attends functions, meetings and tours that the RFU senior vice-president cannot get to."

Former World Cup winner Jason Leonard – the first professional rugby player to hold the post and capped a record 119 times by England – is the new RFU president, while the RFU senior vice-president is Peter Baines.

Spencer, meanwhile, is also serving a one-year term as the RFU's representative to World Rugby, the global governing body.

He added: "World Rugby looks into the World Cup, the Junior World Cup and Junior World Trophy, the Olympic Games and the women's international game.

"It is all-encompassing body that also looks into the game's governance at world level, from things like regulations and disciplinary matters down to the size of pitches.

"There are committees and sub-committees, and I am on governance.

"There are 26 of us on the main committee, which also includes (former England captain) Bill Beaumont."

As the RFU nominations standing committee’s preferred candidate due to his administrative experience, including long-standing positions on the RFU board, Six Nations and Lions committees and as an International Rugby Board representative, Spencer could have been RFU president in 2015-16 instead of Leonard in what is, of course, World Cup year.

However, he lost a secret ballot 35-25 at an RFU Council meeting to the fellow England international in February 2013 , and Spencer, who will manage the British & Irish Lions tour to New Zealand in 2017, said there are no problems with that result.

"Jason is a more high-profile figure than me," confessed Spencer, "but I had to stand as the RFU's nomination. Jason and I are good friends and there is no animosity."

Spencer faces a busy summer in 2017, what with the British & Irish Lions tour in June and July, and the RFU presidency after that.

However, the former Headingley, Cambridge University, England and British Lions centre said: "The main thing about the Lions tour is the seven weeks when we are away.

"It is all about careful time management, and hopefully I can take over as RFU president on August 1, 2017."