Born in Goulburn, New South Wales, Poidevin played rugby at St Patrick's College (now Trinity Catholic College) in New South Wales, and made the Australian Schoolboy side. Upon finishing school he played a season with the Goulburn Rugby Union Football Club and then, in 1978, he moved to Sydney to study at the University of New South Wales, from which he graduated in 1983 with a Bachelor of Science (Hons). He made his first grade debut with the university's rugby union team in 1978. In 1982 he moved clubs to Randwick, the famous Galloping Greens, home of the Ella brothers and many other Wallabies.

Despite making himself unavailable for the 1988 Australia rugby union tour of England, Scotland and Italy, and further announcing his unavailability for state selection, Poidevin had hoped to achieve national selection for the Australian Test series against the British Lions. However, Scott Gourley was selected as Australia's blindside flanker, following a good tour to the UK in 1988. Instead, Poidevin played in the curtain raiser to the first Test, playing for Randwick in a game against Eastern Suburbs.  After Australia won the first Test against the British Lions, Poidevin did not achieve national selection for the second Test. However, after the Lions defeated Australia in a violent second Test, public calls were made for Poidevin to be included in the third and series-deciding Test to harden the Australian forward pack. These calls were ignored, Poidevin missed selection for the third Test, and Australia lost to the Lions in the third Test 18-19.  Following the 1989 British Lions series, Poidevin achieved national selection for the only time in 1989 for the one-off Bledisloe Cup Test against New Zealand to be played in Auckland. Australia fielded a relatively inexperienced side, and with Phil Kearns, Tim Horan and Tony Daly making their debut for the Wallabies, Poidevin assumed a senior role within the side. Poidevin would later describe the Test as "one of the best Test matches I'd experienced." Against an All Blacks side that had been undefeated since 1987, Australia trailed 6-3 at half-time, but went on to lose 24-12.  Following Australia's one-off Bledisloe Cup Test of 1989, Poidevin then made himself unavailable for the 1989 Australia rugby union tour of France. Answer this question using a quote from the following article:

Did they beat Eastern Suburbs?