The main Southern Hemisphere nations yesterday called for a series of rule changes to return the spectacle to rugby union, including the use of video referees to rule on contentious tries.

The changes were drafted at a two-day meeting of coaches, referees, players and team chiefs from South Africa, Australia and New Zealand - known collectively as SANZAR.

If the International Rugby Board (IRB) gives the go-ahead at a meeting in Sydney next weekend, video referees could be tried out during next season's Super 12 and tri-nations competitions.

Other rule changes include allowing number eights to play the ball immediately if it is at their feet when a scrum collapses, and only allowing players to join rucks and mauls from their own side of play.

Australian Rugby Union chief executive John O'Neill also said the moves were an attempt to put more spark into the game after what many thought was a boring World Cup dominated by defence.

"I think we're disappointed that the World Cup was not the spectacle in many cases that it might have been - a lot of penalties. The ball wasn't played as long as it might have been.

"This continuous battle between defence and offence isn't unusual in sport. But the defence ends up dominating, therefore you have to look to rule changes to get some equilibrium back in it," he said.

Indeed an IRB analysis of World Cup statistics showed that 64 per cent of moves in the competition involved only up to one pass, while only 12 per cent contained more than two passes.

SANZAR is also proposing increasing player interchanges to four to reduce time lost to injury stoppages and lifting the number of reserves to eight - including all three specialist front-row positions, for safety reasons.

The SANZAR meeting also called for front support players in lineouts to be allowed to steady jumpers by holding their thighs "as a matter of safety".

The Northern Hemisphere nations, in their submissions to the IRB, are concerned with other areas, such as padding, pushover tries and lineouts close to the line which follow penalties to touch, though England and Wales will lobby for a sin-bin to be introduced for persistent offenders in next year's Six Nations Championship. However, the English RFU will back calls for a video referee to be used for goal-line decisions.

There are also moves afoot to eliminate headgear and shoulder pads. One of the home unions has recommended that all forms of padded garments, with the exception of shin guards and ankle braces, are banned on the grounds that they are "unmanageable and driven by commercial interests", and such items increase the risk of injuring opponents.

Next weekend's conference will not have the authority to make any changes, but it will make recommendations ahead of the IRB's annual meeting next March when law changes will be decided.

Meanwhile, Bath last night urged Jeremy Guscott to concentrate on winning back his first team place after he was cleared of attacking a pedestrian in an alleged road rage attack.

The 34-year-old former England centre was found not guilty of causing actual bodily harm to 47-year-old antiques dealer Kenneth Jones after a five-day trial at Bristol Crown Court.

A statement from the club said: "Bath Rugby were delighted to hear today of Jeremy Guscott's acquittal. Recent months must have been stressful for Jeremy, and he is to be admired for the way he has continued to conduct himself in a professional manner both on and off the field throughout this period.

"We look forward to Jeremy putting this whole incident behind him."