ARC Scrapped?

[O'Rothlain]

So, I was just checking up on when, oh when the Mazda Australian Rugby Championship started back up...
only to find out that apparently sometime back in December '07 the ARU announced that they were scrapping the competition. I don't remember there being any conversation on the board about that...did I miss out?
Regardless, what are your thoughts? While financially the ARU were leaking money ($$$AU), isn't this sort of competition neccesary for the growth of Aussie Rugby? Even if this competition was not working, shouldn't they just revise it somehow?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_rugby_championship
http://aru.rugby.com.au/fixtures_results/m...page,59683.html

I, not knowing tons about the Aussie Rugby setup, am wondering what then the next level of competition would be in Australia? Is it the Australian Rugby Shield, then the Super 14?

 

[melon]

There was quite a lot of talk about this here in a thread or two.

It all came down to money in the end, thats why its not being held anymore...just too much of a monetary loss and no real plan or foreseeable way to make money.

In regards to your question about the level below Super 14, the level below the super 14 isn't the Australian Rugby Shield. The Australian Rugby Shield is made up of players who are through and through amateurs.
There are two major regions that miss out on this competition (NSW City, that being Sydney club rugby and QLD City, that being Brisbane club rugby).
So to sum it up, this competition isn't a stepping stone in Australian professional rugby, however it is in some cases a step toward it.

 

[BLR]

The ARC was the creation of the outgoing Flowers administration and O'Neill and his cronies didn't want anything to do with it, as they are in the pockets of the clubs....they didn't promote it whatsoever, got a abysmal media deal and basically killed it off with thier shite marketing and it died from lack of attendences....I mean Perth got the biggest attendences, cemented our status as a rugby stronghold but no one actually knew it was on...that's how bad the advertising was...

 

[melon]

The fact that the ARU had to pay the ABC to broadcast the ARC matches spelt disaster from the start.

 

[smartcooky]

So what is now the next level down below S14 in Oz, the Sydney & Brizzie club comps??

 

[melon]

So what is now the next level down below S14 in Oz, the Sydney & Brizzie club comps?? [/b]

Yep, pretty much. The ACT and Perth club comps for the Brumbies and Force respectively as well.

 

[Prestwick]

The ARC was the creation of the outgoing Flowers administration and O'Neill and his cronies didn't want anything to do with it, as they are in the pockets of the clubs....they didn't promote it whatsoever, got a abysmal media deal and basically killed it off with thier shite marketing and it died from lack of attendences....I mean Perth got the biggest attendences, cemented our status as a rugby stronghold but no one actually knew it was on...that's how bad the advertising was... [/b]

So THATS why Saracens' marketing team took a long holiday in Australia a couple of seasons back! :lol:

 

[InsaneAsylum]

i'm really gutted about the ARC being scrapped... coming from melbourne we don't get much top level rugby. i managed to go to a few rebels games last year and saw some great rugby, plus the rebels were runners up and they were tipped to finish dead last!

nowdays, apart from the 1 international game i can see per year, i have to go and watch the australian rugby shield or VRU pillar cup/premier 1 games

 

[dwaldron]

So what is now the next level down below S14 in Oz, the Sydney & Brizzie club comps??
[/b]

its actually the bundy pillar cup and the australian rugby shield

 

[melon]

<div class='quotemain'>
So what is now the next level down below S14 in Oz, the Sydney & Brizzie club comps??
[/b]

its actually the bundy pillar cup and the australian rugby shield [/b][/quote]
Ummm Im sorry dwaldron, but you're wrong. The level down is in fact the Sydney and Brisbane comps because that is where the Super 14 players go to after the Super 14 if they aren't chosen in the Wallabies squad.

The Australian Rugby Shield consists of purely amateur representative teams from NSW Country, QLD Country, Adelaide, Darwin, Melbourne and Tasmania (Perth and ACT/South NSW were represented prior to 2007) and the Bundy Pillar Cup is just Victorias/Melbournes premier club comp.