Rugby union is among the most ferocious and physically demanding of sports, while also offering a culture of camaraderie and fair play which truly makes this 'a game for ruffians played by gentlemen'.

Yet it is also a game caught in a cycle of constant change, caused in part by safety issues and the growing power and athleticism of players since the game turned professional in 1996, as well as by the International Rugby Board's (IRB) attempts to increase the game's worldwide appeal. That has led to regular revisions of rugby's laws, in turn sparking argument between traditionalists and modernisers.

Despite this, there have been significant successes in recent years, notably the expansion of the World Cup, which has grown into a major international sporting tournament, as well as the development of the Heineken Cup in Europe and the Tri-Nations and Super 14 in the southern hemisphere.

Rugby union remains in good health. Questions, however, remain. How far should administrators go in sacrificing some of the sport's traditional complexities in the name of a simpler, faster, all-action game more accessible to sponsors as well as a wider audience? And is rugby in danger of transforming itself in the process into a spectacle more akin to rugby league or sevens?

Rugby may appear to be struggling with an identity crisis but what's new? The sport has arguably been agonising over the best way forward ever since William Webb Ellis supposedly picked up the ball and ran almost 200 years ago.