The great and the good from around the rugby globe descended upon London this week to decide the future of the controversial experimental law variations.

This long-winded and no doubt expensive process began in the aftermath of the 2003 Rugby World Cup and thankfully there appears to be an end in sight.

The IRB should be praised for their efforts to at least investigate how the game can be improved for those who play the game and those who support it from the touchlines - but they should not feel they need to justify the time and effort of the Laws Project Group and force through any variations that simply do not work.

I tend to agree with former Wales international and now BBC pundit Jonathan Davies on the issue. Earlier this week he said, “If the ELVs have not worked then the authorities should have the balls to admit they have been wrong and say: ‘Thank you very much, lets not change the rules and draw a line under it.’”

So what is the future for the ELVs? Will any make it into the law book? If some are to be believed then their will be little re-writing of the Laws required this summer but there will be some changes.

Some reports quoted a list of 30-odd ELVs would be on the agenda this week but surely only those trialled globally since August 1 last year stand any chance of progressing to the IRB's rugby committee on April 27 and from there to the full IRB Council meeting on May 13. Any proposals that make it that far will require a two-thirds majority amongst the 26-member Council for it to become law.

Such a scenario spells trouble for the likes of Australia and New Zealand who will be hoping to see all the ELVs, including those only trialled in the southern hemisphere, pushed through. But surely even they realise that the sanctions variation (that reduced many penalty offences to a free kick) is a non-starter, despite their best efforts to herald the positive impact on their game.

Those ELVs were doomed as soon as the IRB allowed southern and northern hemispheres to go their own ways with the variations with the influence and voting power of the leading northern hemisphere unions set to trump their southern counterparts.

As for those that have been trialled around the globe, many expect the maul to be given an injection of life with the scrapping of the ELV that allows it to be pulled down. The controversial ELV allowing any number at the lineout (with a minimum of two) is also likely to be given the boot. We can only hope that the increased presence of the maul will tie up players and free up valuable space that can be exploited by attack-minded teams.

Amongst those set to live on to fight another day are the less controversial experiments such as the pass back into the 22/no gain on the kick, the quick lineout throw and the 5m offside line at the scrum.

Amidst all the claim and counter-claim between hemispheres regarding the pros and cons, credit must go to the Rugby Football Union for consulting with all areas of the game to get their views. As with many sports, the grassroots are key to future development and should never be ignored.

UPDATE: The sport's powerbrokers have emerged from their conference a little earlier than expected after drowning in statistics from over 800 matches in 15 different countries. A total of 10 recommendations have been made and as expected the pulling down of the maul, the unlimited numbers at the lineout and the sanctions ELVs are not amongst them.

As the IRB Sevens elite descends upon Hong Kong for the latest round fast-paced and lung-bursting action it gives us a great excuse to dig this classic try from the archives.

Hong Kong is one of the magical desitinations on the rugby globe thanks largely to the many memorable moments the historic 7s tournament has provided - and Fiji have more often than been at their entertaining best in the Far East.

Check out this classic footage from the 1990 Hong Kong 7s final against old foes New Zealand featuring some legendary names like Serevi and Rush and a very special try (around 5min in) -plus the added bonus of commentary by Bill McLaren.

The curtain has fallen on this year’s Six Nations and it is time to pick Scrum.com’s Team of the Championship.

	Ireland skipper Brian O'Driscoll lifts the Six Nations Championship silverware © Getty Images

Sadly for some, we cannot select Ireland's starting XV from Saturday no matter how historic their achievement but there is no doubt that the men in green deserve to dominate our selection.

Here's who caught our eye (and remember this is on their Six Nations form and not necessarily our picks for the Lions!):

15. Delon Armitage (England)
The London Irish speedster has made a smooth transition into the international ranks and is a major plus point for Martin Johnson's resurgent England. Three tries to his name and has played himself into Lions contention.

14. Tommy Bowe (Ireland)
Arguably the best winger on show in the Championship and claimed two tries including a key score against Wales. Lively and dangerous, he proved a constant threat and can sing too.

13. Brian O’Driscoll (Ireland)
The best player in the tournament. Simply inspirational in defence and attack. Try-saving tackle against Scotland and Grand Slam-rescuing tries against England and Wales.

12. Riki Flutey (England)
Another ever-present in the Martin Johnson's England regime, the Kiwi-born centre has grown in confidence throughout the Championship on his way to four tries and a man of the match performance against Scotland. A significant threat with Lions potential.

11. Thom Evans (Scotland)
There are very few high points for Scotland to reflect on after another disappointing Championship but the emergence of Evans as a high-class attacking threat offers hope for the future.

10. Ronan O’Gara (Ireland)
The Irishman may not have been the most consistent fly-half in the Championship but he came through a minor crisis of confidence to deliver when it mattered most in the Grand Slam decider.

9. Mike Phillips (Wales)
The Wales No.9 is still finding his feet again on the international stage after battling back from a major knee injury but was still a significant physical presence and produced a couple of notable breaks as a reminder of his best.

1.Gethin Jenkins (Wales)
Solid up front and an impressive tackle count and work rate in the loose has all but cemented the prop's place on the Lions.

2. Jerry Flannery (Ireland)
Perhaps the most debateable position after all the leading contenders failed to stake a strong claim. But Ireland's dominance in the lineout has Flannery getting the nod.

3. John Hayes (Ireland)
Veteran Hayes is closing in on a century of caps and shows no signs of stopping. Solid and reliable and a key to Ireland's Grand Slam success.

4. Paul O’Connell (Ireland)
A colossus for Ireland in the lineout and led by example as pack leader, dragging his side to glory. A huge motivational force at the heart of Ireland's title challenge and took it on himself to claim the all-important lineout that led to O'Gara match-winning drop goal.

5. Alun Wyn Jones (Wales)
Athletic in the lineout, bags of stamina in the loose and bursting with national pride. He has matured into a formidable presence and his leadership potential was also recognised by coach Warren Gatland.

6. Stephen Ferris (Ireland)
His Championship was brought to a premature end due to injury against Wales but can reflect on an outstanding tournament.

7. David Wallace (Ireland)
A superb Championship, consistently a thorn in the side of opponents and claimed a memorable try against Italy.

8. Sergio Parisse (Italy)
Pushed O'Driscoll for the player of the Championship honour with a string of performances that underlined his world-class stature. The heart and soul of a disappointing Italy side and would walk into any of the other Six Nations line-ups.

Five of the six nations represented - with France's Thierry Dusautoir and Imanol Harinordoquy unlucky to miss out - and a side that could easily hold its own against any side in the world.

Let us know your thoughts on our selection.

Wow. What an epic. We expected tension and drama but what we got went far beyond the great expectations. And as Irish fans around the world try to shake off the excesses of last night it will hit home again that they are Six Nations Grand Slam champions.

Super Saturday faced a tough task to lift this year's largely disappointing title-chase into the realms of classic Championships but it had the trump card of a potential Grand Slam up its sleeve.

France got things started by running in seven tries on their way to a half century against Italy in Rome with Sebastien Chabal bouncing back to form. But France coach Marc Lievremont, like many of his predecessors, will rue his side's inconsistency that once again cost them dear.

The England resurgence continued with a Calcutta Cup victory over Scotland that will offer further hope to Martin Johnson and fans who not so long ago thought their side had lost their way. England finish the Championship with the most tries and the greatest points difference and ran Ireland close in terms of tries conceded. England are far from the finished article but it appears they have ridden out the storm of criticism and are building towards something special once again. Scotland however are not. Despite his side's best efforts to rescue something from the campaign, Frank Hadden's time as coach appears up.

And then to Cardiff. The clash between Ireland and Wales lived up to the billing and then some. A thrilling encounter that swung one way and then the other before one final dramatic twist. It was an intense battle with players putting their bodies on the line and Brian O'Driscoll and his apostrophe chums (delightfully coined by Mick Cleary of the Daily Telegraph) Paul O'Connell and Ronan O'Gara leading the way.

Wales fly-half Stephen Jones and O'Gara traded drop goals before the stadium fell silent for the last kick of the game. Jones had the chance, albeit a tough one, to burst Ireland's bubble and clinch victory and the Triple Crown for his own side. Those who could bear to watch, including the Irish players, saw his effort drop just short of its target sparking jubilation and despondency in equal measure. The 61-year wait for only their second clean sweep was over - at last.

Such was the heart-pounding and nerve-shredding nature of the clash that you felt sorry for Irish legend Jackie Kyle, sat in the stadium, and the rest of the remaining heroes from 1948 who, like the rest of use, were put through ringer to the last.

And on a day of great performances, mention should also be made of referee Wayne Barnes for a job well done. His clear authority allowed the game to flow and was never in danger of getting in the way of the occasion as some may have feared.

This year’s Championship will go down as a classic, thanks largely to its thrilling finale and nowhere will that be celebrated more than across the Irish Sea.

Six Nations report card:

Ireland: A - The best team in the Championship led by the best player - Brian O'Driscoll. Answered every challenge laid before them to write their name in the history books.

England: B+ - Flirted with disaster but silenced critics by re-discovering an exciting element to their game. Room for further improvement.

France: C - Inconsistent to the point of being infuriating. Need to find a settled element to their side to capitalise on their brilliance

Wales: B - Brave defence of their title, unlucky to be on the wrong end of the best two performances in the Championship.

Scotland: D - Too many shortcomings although there are seeds of hope. Time for change.

Italy: F - Deserved Wooden Spoon. Never recovered from the worst selection decision in Championship history (Bergamasco's scrum-half nightmare) and appear to be going backwards

OK - this year's Six Nations has hardly been a classic in terms of the standard of rugby but Super Saturday offers one final chance for the Championship to leave its mark.

France's clash with Italy in Rome and the Calcutta Cup clash between England and Scotland at Twickenham are very much the warm-up acts for the big one and even if those games plummet to new depths in terms of entertainment value they will not be able to detract from the spectacle that awaits between Ireland and Wales in Cardiff.

Ireland are on the brink of only their second Grand Slam - and their first for 61-years - and their first Championship title since 1985. Meanwhile, Wales have their sights on their 25th outright Championship title that will see them draw level with fierce rivals England in the all-time table. all they need is a 13-point winning margin - anything else will see the Six Nations silverware travel back across the Irish Sea with the thousands of fans who are set to invade the principality for the game.

Both sides have line-ups that blend experience with exciting talent and bags of potential - but will the pressure of the occasion weigh heavy on their shoulders? In Ireland's case history suggest it will whereas Wales can reflect on two Grand Slam seasons in the last three years.

The small matter of a Lions tour to South Africa later this year adds another fascinating element to the clash with it set to serve as a glorified trial. It will be no surprise if the side that lines up against the Springboks for the first Test at Kings Park in Durban on June 20 has a distinct Irish/Welsh flavour and this game could go a long way to deciding the pecking order.

Lions coach Ian McGeechan will be one of many interested observers as a number of personal battles play out in front of a capacity 75,000 crowd. Fly-halves Stephen Jones and Ronan O'Gara will audition for the Lions No.10 shirt, Martyn Williams and David Wallace will do battle for openside superiority and Brian O'Driscoll and Gordon D'Arcy will look to outshine their Welsh counterparts Gavin Henson and Tom Shanklin.

Leadership is also set to play a huge part in the destiny of this year's Championship. Ireland's Paul O'Connell and Brian O'Driscoll and Wales' Ryan Jones are all in line to lead the party to South Africa and every decision is likely to be scrutinised on Saturday. For example, Wales take a narrow lead into the last quarter of the game - does Jones demand an expansive approach in search of the required winning-margin and with it risk defeat against a dangerous counter-attacking side or settle for the victory that brings the Triple Crown?

This year's Championship has provided few stand-out moments, flashes of brilliance have been rare and many games have been plagued by aimless kicking with the finger of blame resting firmly on the ELVs. Can Ireland and Wales conjure a feast of running rugby that will erase those bad memories? These two sides have featured in the best games of the Championship so far (Ireland v France and France v Wales) so the signs are good.

The common view appears to be that Wales, driven by a passionate home crowd, will end Ireland's Grand Slam dream but not do enough to deny them the title. But this is the Six Nations remember and things do not always go to plan - one of the reasons why it has such special significance for all fans.

The team that not only handles the pressure but thrives under it will claim this year’s title but which side will be able to throw off the shackles of expectation? Glory beckons the brave.

The shortlist for the Six Nations Player of the Year has been announced with the Championship ambassadors offering up the following list of players:

Delon Armitage (England)
Lee Byrne (Wales)
Jamie Heaslip (Ireland)
Brian O'Driscoll (Ireland)
Paul O'Connell (Ireland)
Sergio Parisse (Italy)

Who would get your vote? Initial results suggest that the voters (anyone can play their part via the official Championship website) are favouring Armitage, O'Driscoll and Parisse.

No doubt all six have worthy claims but for me O'Driscoll and Parisse are vying for the honour with the last round of games set to decide my preference. Parisse has battled valiantly in a poor side earning man of the match honours with performances that have underlined his credentials as one of the best players in the world. In contrast, a resurgent O'Driscoll has led a strong side to the brink of glory but has been no less influential.

Amidst fears that such a system can be abused, Wales wing Shane Williams' victory in last year's vote at least suggests fans can get it right.

The first tickets for the 2011 Rugby World Cup will go up for grabs this week - but sadly only fans in New Zealand need to read on.

Sponsors Heineken are giving away two tickets to the tournament finale at Eden Park on October 23, 2011 and are not likely to be short of interest. How do you get your hands on them I hear you ask? All fans who turn up to Wellington Regional Stadium by noon on Wednesday will go into a draw for a pair tickets.

Tickets for the sport's next global showpiece are not expected to go on general sale until early next next year.

No resting on their laurels

England boss Martin Johnson has long-insisted that a display such as that which accounted for Les Bleus was not far away for his side and he will be delighted to have been proven right.

	England's Delon Armitage celebrates scoring a try against France © Getty Images

The problem is that now we know what they are capable of it makes any future shortcomings even more inexcusable.

It was so refreshing to see England cutting loose after so many stilted performances – attacking at pace, offloading before, during and after contact, players of all shapes and sizes having the confidence to lead the attack, all built on another solid defensive display.

And most pleasing of all is that they appear to have learnt the painful lessons of recent weeks.

Today’s game was all about pressure – England showed that they could handle it and even exerted enough of their own to knock France off their stride. But they are not the finished article.

For all the glow generated by the incisive running of Riki Flutey (who continues to improve in his first year of Test rugby), electric pace of Delon Armitage and assured direction of Toby Flood and others there remain areas of concern.

They are some way off their single-digit penalty goal having smashed through the double-figure barrier once again but mistakes and penalties are always going to come. It was just matter of being in control and thankfully England even heeded warnings from the referee where in the past they have seemingly not.

In terms of personnel there is no doubt England lost some of their spark when Flood was forced out of the game - what would Danny Cipriani made of such an opportunity? Instead we had Andy Goode who could not conjure the same magic.

They also struggled to maintain their focus in the second half and got lost a little and will need to ensure they are more ruthless against superior opposition.

So, now they’ve raised the bar how do they maintain it? Confidence remains the key factor – the players must play with the same belief, in themselves and the game plan. The team have not lacked for intensity throughout the Championship but they have failed to execute, to transfer from the training pitch to the main stage – until today that is, and they must sustain that success rate. The onus is on England to repeat this performance against the Scots next weekend.

England took great strides today but it will mean little if they do not improve again on Saturday. But the exciting thing for fans is that even though England were not the finished article today they still put one of the world’s better sides to the sword - and there appears to be more to come from Johnson’s side. More of the same please.

Mutual back-slapping

There was a lot of mutual praise flying around Twickenham following England’s victory as if everyone knew that this was a turning point for the side but they should be wary as to how fickle elite sport can be. Just ask France.

Manager Martin Johnson singled out his backs coach Brian Smith (“all the work that Brian has put in on our attacking game really paid off.”) and captain Steve Borthwick (“I am happy for him that all the heartache he has had has paid off.”) and the England skipper in turn thanked his boss (“Martin Johnson has been absolutely superb. He is young in the job but he has been brilliant. He worked incredibly hard along with his management team.”) and even the crowd (“There needs to be special mention today to our fans.”).

You could be forgiven for thinking it is the end of the Championship but there is one game left against Scotland next weekend who would love nothing more than to burst their old rival’s bubble.

England need to finish this year’s Six Nations with two emphatic wins if they are to truly silence their critics. Anything but leaves breathing room but also doubt. Johnson and his team can enjoy tonight but the work starts again tomorrow.

No place like home

With two wins from two games at Twickenham, albeit contrasting vastly in terms of performance, it would appear that there is no place like home for England.

In their five-try rout of France they played with the self-assurance of a side pushing for the title and not desperately trying to rescue some credibility from the Championship as was the case. And that confidence was evident within the crowd as well.

Maybe it was the warm Spring sunshine or the copious amounts of wine and beer being quaffed but there were no major fears or concerns amongst those surveyed around the stadium. Now either they don’t read the papers, or websites, or they were just choosing to brush off the flack that has been raining down on their side.

As far as the majority of those asked were concerned, blame for the side’s failure to perform rested with the players who had ‘let Johnno down’ and the manager himself was spared any criticism. The players ‘would get it right’ I was assured – such blind faith should have been expected I guess, especially from those having coughed up for a ticket.

And come kick off it appeared this belief was not isolated to a few in the North car park. The national anthem was greeted with more gusto than usual as was the team’s entrance and that was not lost on captain Steve Borthwick – who received special praise from the crowd as his face loomed large on the big screen in the closing moments.

"There needs to be special mention today to our fans,” he said following the game. “Recently at home we've not been great, coupled with two away losses, but they were magnificent today. You could sense it right from the start when we were warming up. It's up to us to draw that reaction, we're the ones who are privileged enough to wear the shirt."

Football celebrations

The birth of a new-look dynamic England appears to brought with it a penchant for football-style celebrations. Long gone are the days of simply dotting down and running back to half-way.

Perhaps it was the new-found intensity of the Twickenham crowd, or all the pent-up frustration within the England camp? Either way, the celebrations had a somewhat more dramatic feel to them.

Of course, the celebrating before touching the ball down (Mark Cueto) is nothing new but the gesturing to the crowd and the old football favourite of grabbing the badge on your shirt (Delon Armitage) are. Before you know it they will be kissing said badge, pulling their shirts off and leaping into the crowd. You have been warned.

You have to feel sorry for those groundsmen working tirelessly up and down the country to preserve the playing surface for their sides - especially those who have to combat the use of their pitches for both rugby and football.

This thought struck me as I watched Sale Sharks go at it with Newcastle Falcons at Edgeley Park today. The groundsman had diligently painted over the white lines used by co-habitants Stockport Country in their latest Coca-Cola League One clash - the colour paint chosen for this task was green which is normally OK but sadly grass is hard to come by at Edgeley Park at the moment.

As a result, instead of disguising the lines the green paint emphasised them against the brown mud - but the thought was there I guess.

POSTSCRIPT: Grass or no grass - what a great game these two sides served up. Seemingly free of the threat of relegation the Falcons are flying with their latest success built on the back of rock-like scrum. Epic.

In the first of a new series of posts, I offer you 'Reasons why we love rugby - #1':