Martin Corry is starting to appreciate the value of the experimental law variations but still believes they should not have been introduced.

The ELVs have few supporters in the northern hemisphere, where club and international rugby are enjoying unprecedented levels of popularity.

Leicester and former England skipper Corry was initially sceptical over the controversial changes but is no longer in total opposition.

"Initially, I would have said I was quite firmly against the new laws," he said.

"After playing with them, the majority of them make a slight alteration and don't make a huge difference.

"There's a couple that don't change the way we play but the difference isn't as marked as I thought it would be.

"Should they have brought the rules in? No. The Guinness Premiership and Heineken Cup are great brands of rugby.

"I know there are problems elsewhere in the sport but why change what we've got when it's doing so well?

"The way the game is going, we're heading to a more Super 14 type of rugby.

"But it's pointless moaning about them. We've spent the summer developing skills that allow us to make best use of them.

"Now I've accepted them and played under them, I've started to see the positives about them."

No-one quite knows what to expect when the season opens at Twickenham a week on Saturday, with Corry admitting much depends on the referees.

"There's a lot of pressure on referees now," said the Lions back row.

"It may take up to a month before everything settles down so that we can actually find out how the referees can interpret the laws."