It's the bargain player squad that launched the careers of Wallabies Scott Sio, Scott Fardy and Jesse Mogg. But the ACT Brumbies admit they face a massive challenge to find $250,000 to keep the extended player squad alive if the Australian Rugby Union scraps its funding for the development program.
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The Brumbies and Australian rivals could be forced to decide if they could afford to fund a wider training group themselves, with injured prop Sio urging officials to find a way to invest in fringe Super Rugby talent. Sio, Fardy and Mogg started their Super Rugby careers on $40,000 ARU-funded EPS deals in 2012 before rapidly rising to the Wallabies last year.
The cash-strapped ARU is reviewing the contract structure and its 250,000 funding for the five-man EPS as it prepares for the start of the new National Rugby Championship.
The Brumbies will spend the next two months coming up with a plan for the future and if the EPS is abolished, squads could be cut from 35 players to 30. The injury-hit Brumbies have been saved by the EPS this season and used four of the five players in the win against the Cape Town Stormers last weekend.
The Brumbies have already used 31 players this season, have six players unavailable because of injuries, and have put Canberra club players on standby as injury cover for the clash with the Melbourne Rebels on Friday night.
''It gives young guys a chance to show what they've got. You can see how badly injuries can affect a team, and I think it's important to have as many guys as you can training full time,'' Sio said.
The Brumbies reported a loss of $141,085 last year and are trying to cut costs to break even. It is hoped the new National Rugby Championship, which will include a Canberra Vikings team, will ease the pressure of player depth in Australia.
In the past three years, just two players of 15 EPS members – Allan Alaalatoa (2014) and Dylan Sigg (2012) – have not made their Super Rugby debut, while seven have full-time contracts.
The ARU introduced and paid for the five-man EPS program for Australian teams in 2012, but chief executive Bill Pulver said it was being reviewed for next year.
''It's a real battle for us. We don't have another $250,000 in our coffers, so we're just trying to work out where we can put some players and if they go on to minimum contracts,'' said interim Brumbies chief executive Doug Edwards.
''At the moment, we can't afford to fund five EPS players. We have to either find that money or the EPS number comes down. We've had some great guys come through the program in the past three years ... it's a real concern [that it might not be there]. You still have to pay for it and the Brumbies, like all other franchises, are under financial stress.''
The Brumbies could opt to start an academy program or reduce the number of EPS players from five to three.
"We're always reviewing the best structures for our contracting model but as it stands our current squad system includes 30 contracted and five extending playing squad members," said an ARU spokesman.
"As with any major changes we'll continue to have discussions with RUPA on the most appropriate way forward, however no decisions have been made at this stage."
The Brumbies' immediate focus is locking away their off-contract stars, including Matt Toomua, Christian Lealiifano, Nic White, Mogg, Sio, Fardy and Henry Speight.
