Jonny Petrie: Ulster chief accepts IRFU boss' view on financial legacy caused by difficult 2017/18 season

IRFU chief Philip Browne said financial difficulties caused by Ulster's controversial 2017/18 season has left it less equipped to deal with the financial challenges caused by Covid-19

Ulster chief executive Jonny Petrie says Philip Browne's assertion that the province's season of turmoil two years ago left it less robust for the current financial challenges was accurate.

On Friday, IRFU boss Browne said the off-field controversies of 2017/18 had dealt Ulster a financial hit.

This followed the rape trial involving then players Paddy Jackson and Stuart Olding where they were both cleared.

Shortly after their acquittals, the duo's Ulster contracts were terminated.

This was in the wake controversy over social media exchanges which had come to light during the trial.

IRFU chief executive Browne made the comments about Ulster in a media briefing on Friday after earlier telling an Irish parliamentary committee in Dublin that the professional game's "very existence" in Ireland was under threat unless fans could return in large numbers.

Ulster revenue suffered

Amid subsequent decline in ticket sales for matches at the Kingspan Stadium - including a drop in season ticket sales - Ulster's revenue suffered in the immediate aftermath of the 2017/18 controversy.

"As Philip pointed out, there were a number of legacy issues that made things financially challenging for us a couple of years ago," Ulster chief executive Petrie told BBC Radio Ulster's Sportsound Extra Time.

"As he rightly said, they are well documented and not for us to dive back into.

"But I think fairly clearly over the past couple of years, we've really turned the corner in respect of our performance on the field and in respect of the revenues that we're able to generate alongside that, with the growth of crowds and things very much on the up.

"It's been difficult to deal with when you feel you're on a trajectory and then because of the impact of coronavirus, the rug is pulled out from under your feet to some extent."

With no real indication when large number of fans will be permitted to return to rugby venues, Petrie said Ulster's task now is to "cut our cloth accordingly to nurse us through this period until such time as we can really drive that growth again".

Jonny Petrie says Ulster should not "stew" on the heavy defeats by Leinster and Toulouse

'We've got to regroup and regather'

Petrie revealed that Ulster, along with other sporting bodies as Ulster GAA and the Irish FA, have been in discussion with the Department of Communities about running possible pilot events which could see larger numbers of supporters that the current 400 limit attending matches.

"We would hopefully have something in place over the next couple of weeks, perhaps even for the start of the Pro14 tournament.

"We're working very closely with the Department for Communities on that and hopefully we'll get there.

"But the health picture creates challenges for us all. We understand that and that has to come first."

While Petrie admitted Sunday's 36-8 European Champions Cup defeat by Toulouse had left the club "a bit down in the dumps", he insisted that Ulster have made discernible progress over the last two seasons.

"If you'd said to us at the beginning of the season that we would have been in a Pro14 final and the quarter-finals of the Champions Cup, there would have been a lot to be proud of. We can't forget that.

"The new season starts in two weeks so there's not too much time to stew on your defeats. We've got to regroup and regather and get back out on the field."