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The fallout continues..
Mood turns nasty over ARC
By Iain Payten
December 19, 2007
AUSTRALIAN rugby's buoyant mood came crashing down with the axing of the Australian Rugby Championship, prompting two high-profile former Wallabies to square off bitterly over the collapsed competition.
The Australian Rugby Union pulled the pin on the controversial competition after just one season, citing a $4.7million first-year loss as an "untenable financial risk" to continue.
The move stirred up deep divisions in the Australian rugby community, with anti-ARC club rugby figures claiming a moral victory and ARC supporters claiming the ARU had acted too hastily.
In a hostile post-script, former star Simon Poidevin and RUPA boss Tony Dempsey traded personal barbs over their stance on ARC.
Poidevin - an opponent - said that Dempsey should resign as players association boss after supporting the ARC "farce".
"I believe Tony Dempsey should fall on his sword as CEO of RUPA for his absolutely irresponsible backing of this competition," Poidevin said.
"The ARC was always going to end in tears because of a total lack of financial due diligence by the ARU and the backers of the competition.
"My opposition, together with many involved with club rugby, was not based on self interest but based on the financial recklessness of this competition."
But Dempsey fired back, questioning Poidevin's relevance.
"Poidevin doesn't represent anyone in Australian rugby. He is just a former player," he said.
"He purports to be the voice for everybody and yet represents no one. He doesn't hold any official title within Australian rugby.
"I represent 250 players, and (the ARC) is what they want. I don't know who he represents, other than his own profile."
The flankers' fracas came on a tumultuous day for Australian rugby, with the Australian Rugby Union saying the ARC "haemorrhaged" money with forecast losses of $8 million by the end of 2008.
The move represents one of the final purges of the Gary Flowers era; the former union chief executive having pushed through the competition.
Despite on-field success, the ARC averaged crowds of just 2881, attracted almost no sponsorship and had to pay the ABC to broadcast it. Most clubs in New South Wales and Queensland reportedly ran a loss due - in part - to the ARC.
"It ripped the guts out of clubs," Poidevin said.
"The Flowers administration has a lot to answer for."
ARU deputy chief executive Matt Carroll refused to be drawn into "the blame game" but said the board had asked for a full review of all levels of Australian rugby next year and would examine an affordable third-tier competition for 2009.
"It's never great to make decisions like this," Carroll said.
"But you can't run a business when you're bleeding.
"(ARC opponents) shouldn't be gloating. We are not going back to pre-ARC days."
Dempsey said the players were disappointed more effort had not been invested in making the ARC work.
"Despite what Matt Carroll says, it was only a (budget) over-run of $1.3 million. We indicated last week we were prepared to negotiate to reduce ($2.1million) player salaries," Dempsey said.
He questioned the value in ploughing millions into sevens and Australia A programs, and myriad academies, over a "talent pool like ARC".
"The Australian Sevens costs us $1 million a year. It has very little developmental value, we come near the bottom. Why are we continuing to spend $1 million a year on it?" he said.
"A work party put together to explore rationalising Australian rugby programs, reporting by early March, would've been more diligent than to just dump ARC in December."
Western Force flanker David Pusey said the decision to axe the ARC would shut down pathways to the top.
"How does a club player in Perth get into a Super 14 team? The answer is easy. He doesn't," Pusey said.
"The players all wanted it, they liked it and no doubt players got contracts from it."
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