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O'Neill is a keen advocate of the Experimental Law Variations © Getty Images

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Players/Officials John O'Neill

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Rugby officials from England, Wales are Ireland are "unreasonable" in their refusal to fully trial the Experimental Law Variations (ELVs), according to Australia boss, John O'Neill.

The Australian Rugby Union chief executive says that the ELVs have been "wonderfully successful" and that their introduction has wrongly been painted as a struggle between the northern and southern hemispheres.

"We will all vote in May on the laws that we will finally use so it would be better if we all trialled the same set of laws," O'Neill told ESPN's SportsCenter programme. "England, Ireland and Wales have refused to trial the sanctions and I think that's unreasonable. It would be better if they did so the dialogue would be fair and reasonable."

The sanctions are part of the ELVs in which the referee can give a short-arm free kick instead of a full penalty for infringements at the breakdown. "We think that's one of the most pivotal and important components of the ELVs," O'Neill said. "It takes the referee out of the equation, speeds up the game and turns it into a far more aerobic and attractive sport."

O'Neill described as "simplistic" claims that the southern hemisphere was championing the cause of the ELVs and trying to turn Rugby into pure entertainment. "Unfortunately it's turned into this north-south divide, which is a bit simplistic," he said. "For better or for worse, the IRB invited the southern hemisphere to trial the ELVs first. In doing so, the myth has grown up that we're the owners and promoters of the ELVs when in fact it's been the IRB all along."

O'Neill made his comments as Australia prepared for a Saturday Test match against Italy in Padua on November 8 following a stopover in Hong Kong where the Wallabies played New Zealand in the first Bledisloe Cup match on neutral soil. He added that the ELVs have helped Australian Rugby get "back on track" after O'Neill's much-publicised comments in January that the code was in trouble.

"I think we've turned the corner and the ELVs have improved the spectacle," he said. "We have a new coach in Robbie Deans and the Wallabies are playing a far more attractive brand of Rugby. Our crowds were up. Our average over six (home) Test matches was 51,000 per game. We're back on track."

O'Neill said that the Australian public's temporary disillusionment with Rugby, pre-ELVs, came after the 2007 Rugby World Cup which saw the Wallabies eliminated at the quarter-final stage and the tournament's "terrible" conclusion.

"The two semi finals and final of the 2007 World Cup were terrible games of Rugby. People may not liking hearing that but it needs to be said."

Looking to expand Rugby's reach into new markets - especially in Asia - was crucial to the sport's long-term health, said O'Neill, the former head of Football Federation Australia.

"The Hong Kong game was a tremendous success. There are some pretty fundamental shifts ahead… if you can imagine a Super Rugby competition with two Japanese teams in five to 10 years. And we're looking at developing other parts of Asia too including South Korea and mainland China. "I learnt a huge number of lessons during my time working with football. We're very ambitious now to accelerate the progress and growth of rugby in Asia. With the expansion in Asia, the USA and Canada, plus Argentina, we can genuinely claim in, say, 10 years to be a global game."

Jason Dasey is an international broadcaster and corporate host, based in Hong Kong

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