Being firm underdogs before the match did nothing to subdue an at-times brilliant Australian side from scoring two tries to nil in a nailbiting Tri-Nations victory over the world-champion Springboks at Subiaco Oval. Yes, there were errors, and yes, some of the play was scrappy - but all in all, Australia ended as deserved winners.

The match highlighted the positives and negatives of the new Experimental Law Variations (ELVs) with the play moving up and down the field at a frenetic pace. The action was at times scrappy, with lots of balls being scrambled to safety. But despite this, the game was mostly structured and enjoyable, as both teams appeared intent on attacking.

Both sides ran with ball in hand whenever given the chance, with the Wallabies launching memorable raids from their own quarter. When the Springboks got onto the front foot, they were extremely dangerous, with inside centre Jean de Villiers running a tight angle through the Wallabies’ defence, and hooker Schalk Brits providing Bryan Habana with a chance.

All the attacking play led to a great spectacle of rugby. While many Northern Hemisphere critics have slammed the new laws, saying they take the scrummaging and forward aspects out of the game, they couldn’t be further from the truth. The ELVs were trialled during last season’s Super 14 competition, with 90% of players telling a survey that the laws were easy to understand, and 83% saying they had been positive to rugby. Only 7% said that they had resulted in a negative outcome for the game.

Undoubtedly, the critics of these laws thought the stop-start rugby seen at the World Cup was the way they want the game to be played. After viewing possibly the dourest World Cup ever, the time was, and is, right for these laws to be applied worldwide.

The laws do not in any way take out the forward pack’s impact on a game, nor does it nullify the scrum. In the 2007 Super 14 season, scrums were the third most-deadly weapon for try-scoring (after turnovers and lineouts). The scrum only accounted for 19% of tries. In the 2008 season, however, statistics show that the importance of the scrum as an attacking option has risen, with them now accounting for 25% of five-pointers, making them now the most deadly try-scoring weapon.     

These laws make the game more simple, faster flowing and less boring and have made major changes to the way the game is played. One of the biggest alterations is the out-on-the-full ruling. At the last World Cup, a team was able to carry/pass the ball back over their own 22-metre line and kick it out on he full. Under the new rules, he subsequent throw-in is taken from level with where the ball was kicked from. ELVs have also halved the amount of penalties, instead turning them into free-kicks (meaning the team cannot shoot for three points.)

Only once did the Springbok-Wallabies encounter turn into a game of forcings back. But with both teams eager to keep it in play, the kicks provided fast backs Habana and Lote Tuqiri opportunities to run with the ball in hand. As this was the first time the Wallabies had played under the ELVs, they rose mightily to the challenge, with hard-running Peter Hynes breaking through to set up the first try for Tuqiri. Just like the two Tri-Nations games preceding Saturday's clash in Perth, the breakdown was brutal, but allowed Wallaby scrum-half Luke Burgess to give his back-line quick service.

And after captain Stirling Mortlock barged over in the 45th minute, Australia led 13-6 and were in control. But the Springboks were never far away. They launched a daring raid from their own quarter, Schalk Burger pilfering the ball before Juan Smith broke 50 metres. With another piece of brilliant play, Habana dived over the line after great work from fullback Conrad Janjes, but lost the ball after a wonderful tackle from Mortlock’s replacement, Ryan Cross. It was a critical moment in the game, as it would have made the score 11-13, with the conversion attempt to follow.

But still Australia’s defence held strong. A Butch James penalty brought the score to 13-9, and the Boks were right back in contention. A play later, ‘the Beast’ Tendai Mtawarira broke free of Stephen Moore before being brought down. But in the 80th minute the game was effectively over as Wallaby centre Berrick Barnes dropped a goal from 35 metres.

Australia aren’t the finished article, however, but to beat the world champions with room to improve shows the Wallabies are on the right track. Despite the world rankings, New Zealand are the hardest side on the planet to beat, so the Wallabies will face a daunting challenge when they host the All Blacks in Sydney next week. It will be the next litmus test for coach Robbie Deans and his rapidly-improving Australian side.