THE possibility of the experimental law variations (ELVs) being used in this year's Tri Nations series and the 2011 World Cup has faded dramatically because of intense opposition from the northern hemisphere.

During an International Rugby Board summit, held in Hong Kong last weekend, IRB officials made a presentation on the ELVs to northern hemisphere administrators in the hope they would follow the south and trial them later this year. But the response from two of the Home Unions (England, Ireland, Wales, Scotland) was poor, to the extent that SANZAR will delay its decision on whether to introduce the ELVs to this year's Tri Nations. Before the Hong Kong meeting, Australia strongly supported the ELVs being extended from the Super 14 into the Tri Nations.

Australian Rugby Union chief executive John O'Neill was yesterday dejected by the Home Union response, especially as there had otherwise been strong support, including from the IRB, for the variations, which are aimed at making the game faster and more attractive and free-flowing.

"We were a bit taken back that following that presentation a couple of the northern hemisphere unions indicated very strong reservations, and a very strong level of scepticism about the new laws," O'Neill said. "We are still trying to absorb that before we contemplate what we are going to do about the Tri Nations."

O'Neill said it was now up to the IRB to sort out this dilemma, especially as the Home Unions appeared to be under a misapprehension about the derivation of the law variations.

"The IRB have been driving this since February 2006. We're now in March 2008 and some of the four Home Unions are saying two years later that they have strong reservations about the laws, and yet they haven't even trialled them.

"In other words, they don't believe or don't like the IRB analysis on the laws. They still think it is a southern hemisphere plot, and they have this suspicion that they were introduced by us to overcome our scrummaging problems. I don't know how many times we have to say that these aren't our laws, but the IRB's. So I can't give an answer about the Tri Nations and the ELVs until the fundamental issue with the northern hemisphere is resolved."

The north and south were far more positive about a proposed "world series" inter-hemisphere tournament to be played every two years between World Cups. The details are sketchy, but it involves the leading nations accruing points from eight selected Tests in a calendar year, with the top two teams meeting in a final in December.

"It is an attempt to put meaning into the June and November Test windows matches," O'Neill said. "There's a fair few things on the 'to do' list which need to be done to satisfy everyone that this would be worthwhile."

Whether this tournament comes to fruition is questionable, but it certainly has more life than the proposal of the winners of the Six Nations playing the Tri Nations victors in a special one-off Test. The Six Nations-Tri Nations concept failed to win support in Hong Kong.

"It hasn't been put on the backburner," O'Neill said. "It has been killed. The consensus was that this match had the potential to impinge on the World Cup."

■ Waratahs fullback Lachlan Turner has not given up hope of playing in Friday night's Super 14 match against the Brumbies at the Sydney Football Stadium, despite injuring his shoulder against the Highlanders.

Turner landed heavily on his left shoulder during the 15-12 win in Dunedin, suffering an AC joint strain. The Waratahs are scheduled to announce their line-up today, and Turner is expected to be bracketed. "It's been pretty sore, but I've been doing all the right things to make sure I'm back on the field for this match," Turner said yesterday.

Prop Al Baxter is also in contention after missing the Dunedin trip because of concussion.