If the Super 14 and the opening Tri Nations games are anything to go by, then you would have to say that the Experimental Law Variations, or ELVs, have been a great success.

The games are being played at a good pace, with a lot less stoppage time. And, as the Super 14 showed, there are a lot of trys being scored.

And for those who appreciate a tight game, the opening two Tests of the Tri Nations have shown us that even with the ELVs, we can still get traditional, tough Tests.

Ultimately, it's created a style of game that fans love to watch. And that, at the end of the day, is what counts.

The Northern Hemisphere nations, though, aren't sold on the new laws, and are not prepared to trial them in any form.

Surprise, surprise, really - the Northern Hemisphere sides (namely England, Wales and Ireland) just don't want to play expansive rugby.

Australian rugby Chief Executive, John O'Neill, is warning that if the Northern nations don't come to the party, we could see a split in world rugby - two games, played under different rules.

"We are simply saying to England, Wales and Ireland, 'give it a fair go because until you have had a universal trial of all the ELVs, you cannot make an informed judgment." - John O'Neill

The IRB gave everyone a clear deadline for trialling the new laws, and so far only the Southern Hemisphere sides have met them.

It's therefore up to the IRB to force England, Wales and Ireland to trial the ELVs in some capacity - the consequences are too high if they don't.

"Nothing I say, nor South Africa or New Zealand, can force the Northern Hemisphere countries to trial these laws in full. The body with the only real clout is the IRB. If they bottle that decision I am not sure what we do because we can't go back to the old laws."

"The players and spectators have made it perfectly clear which set of laws they prefer. In the last two weekends, we have seen two wonderful test matches between New Zealand and South Africa under the new laws. We have also seen test matches Southern and Northern Hemisphere countries played under the old laws, and you don't have to be Einstein to figure out which game is a far more impressive spectacle." - John O'Neill

O'Neill is completely right, too. The fans want to see the new laws, and thus better viewing, and the IRB need to act now before there is split in the game.

The Northern Hemisphere countries don't rule the game, and the fact that they play boring (oh, so boring...) rugby proves it.

Rugby needs to evolve if it is to keep fans interested - and, as far as we're concerned, the ELV's are the answer.

It's official.

St. George center Mark Gasnier is leaving the NRL, and will take up a two year contract with Stade Francais - a French rugby union club.

Gasnier is set to earn about 1 million dollars a year in France, and with the problems he's been having with his current contract, you can hardly blame him for making the switch.

Gasnier has stated that his reason for leaving is based on his current contract not being fully honoured. He is owed money from third-party sponsors, and has not received the full payments.

With the current NRL salary caps, high profile players like Gasnier are looking to third-parties to increase their wages - but when these parties don't fulfill their obligations, there are massive consequences for the game.

The NRL's salary cap means they are struggling to match the money on offer from rugby union and the Super League, and it seems there is no immediate solution to the problem.

By raising the salary cap, you put a lot of clubs under financial pressure - and that could see the end of some of the current NRL clubs, which definitely isn't in the best interest of the game.

The only real solution is for the NRL to allow players to receive sponsorship from outside sources, which they are currently unable to do. This has been a major issue with Sonny Bill Williams, who has been unable to make [a lot] more money doing sponsorship deals.

The NRL board need to wake up and allow these sort of deals to take place, especially if they want to keep the top players in the game.

It's a real shame to see Gasnier leave the NRL. He's one of the true greats of the modern era, and we just hope his exit doesn't start a trend...

The All Black's loss to the Springboks on Saturday night has led us to thinking about the state of rugby around the world. And, most importantly, the need to grow the game at a higher level.

Although the loss was hard to bare, we love the fact that it was a tight Test that could have gone either way, right down to the last minute - and we think it's healthy for the game that we love so much.

Rugby is played by a huge number of countries across the globe, but for the majority it's still very amateur. Generally, rugby plays second fiddle to soccer, which dominates most people's interest - especially in South America, Africa and Asia.

At present, there are only about eight sides that can compete at the highest level in rugby - New Zealand, South Africa, Australia, France, England, Ireland, Argentina and Wales.

Below these sides, there's Scotland, Italy, Samoa, Fiji, Canada, Tonga, and Japan, but they struggle to keep pace with the top eight. And the reason is simple - they aren't getting regular Tests against the best (with the exception of Scotland and Italy in the Six Nations).

Sides like the All Blacks, South Africa and Australia should be helping to grow the sport in the Pacific, Japan and North America by touring there at the beginning of their Test season, rather than having second (or even third...) string English and French sides tour down-under - which is, quite frankly, a complete waste of time.

You only have to look at the continued development of Argentina to see that regular Tests against the best is the way to strengthen rugby around the world.

A few years ago, Argentina were at the same level the Pacific sides are at now. Now, they're becoming a lot stronger, and have beaten the likes of South Africa, France, Ireland, and Wales - not to mention placing third at last years rugby World Cup.

It's fantastic for world rugby, and needs to start happening to the next level of sides.

We know that most of these countries don't have the numbers to become world champs over night, but with regular Tests against the best in the world, they can start to compete - and maybe even surprise a few sides at the top.

We think it's great that the All Blacks and the Wallabies are playing a one off Test in Hong Kong later this year, as it takes rugby somewhere different - a place where new fans can see the best in the business do their thing.

Rugby will never match the popularity of soccer, but it's about time the International Rugby Board began to spread the game to the corners of the world.

And who knows? In ten years, we might not be talking about a Springbok victory over the All Blacks.

It might be Canada instead.