Wednesday 13 February 2013 12:10, UK
Australian Rugby Union chief Bill Pulver has promised to be even more vigilant in the fight against performance-enhancing drugs.
Pulver, who is only nine days into his tenure as ARU chief, also put the five Super Rugby franchises on notice to perform this season after disappointing 2012 campaigns. "Last year we came third, seventh, 11th, 13th and 14th, and frankly that's not good enough," he said. "I would love to think one of our teams is going to win the competition and that all of them get inside the top 10. "It feels like (the season has) been a long time coming. I think our five teams are very well advanced in their preparations and I'm looking forward to a really successful season." Pulver concedes the 15-man code has lost some of it die-hard fans in recent years but remains upbeat about the short-term future of the game. "In some areas, to be frank, we've lost a little bit of our core support base and that's been reflected by slipping game attendances and declining TV ratings but I think it's going to be very easy to get that back," he said. "With the right plans in place, I'm completely confident we can get this game growing again. I think we have a lot of opportunity ahead of us."