International rugby is under serious threat of a north-south split after England, Ireland and Wales made a dramatic about-turn and refused to implement sanctions involving the Experimental Law Variations (ELVs).

Australian Rugby Union (ARU) chief executive and International Rugby Board (IRB) delegate John O'Neill warned of the dangers of the game becoming an embarrassment, with two games and two different sets of laws, reports the Sydney Morning Herald.

"Contrary to their undertaking in May when they said they would find competitions to trial the sanctions, the three nations have now recanted and there will be no trialling of the sanctions in any competitions in those countries," O'Neill said.

The Southern Hemisphere is committed to retaining the ELVs, meaning Australia, New Zealand and South Africa will be playing a significantly different game to their northern counterparts.

"This leaves us in the Southern Hemisphere in a quandary, but more particularly leaves the IRB in a very difficult position," O'Neill said.

"They're looking to have a universal game with one set of laws at the earliest opportunity. But it's impossible to have consistent and common dialogue about the new laws unless we have all trialled them."

O'Neill said he was sick and tired of the northern countries arguing the ELVs were a Southern Hemisphere plot, and that the European teams were being ambushed into using the laws.

"To the contrary, the IRB has promoted these laws to improve the game and the spectacle, but there is now the serious risk of two games, with two different sets of laws. It could happen," he said.

"People in the north are saying, 'You just want the game to look more like Rugby League'. Do you reckon the last two All Blacks-Springboks Tests look like rugby league? They have got to be kidding."

O'Neill said it was crucial for the north to compare the Tests involving Australia against France and Ireland, which were played under the old laws, to the All Blacks-Springboks series that was run according to the ELVs.

"You don't have to be Einstein to work out what's the far more impressive game," he said. "We are seeing a faster, more aerobic, and much better game, not a situation of one hemisphere getting an advantage over the other.

"We're just saying to England, Wales, Ireland and the IRB, give it a fair go. To say 'we are not going to trial them' is not in the best interest of the game. And this is a tremendous test for the IRB leadership to stare down England, Wales and Ireland and force them to find competitions to trial the sanctions."

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