Gopser was speaking here today as part of a panel discussion on “The Future of Rugby” where he was joined by England Women’s Rugby World Cup winning captain Katy Mclean, United States rugby sevens head coach Mike Friday, Japan national coach Eddie Jones and former National Football League (NFL) quarterback Brett Favre.

The event was arranged ahead of the start of the 2015 Rugby World Cup by Chime Sports Marketing and was hosted by their chairman and new International Association of Athletics Federations President Sebastian Coe.

The panel discussed topics including the growth of the sport, its 15-a-side and sevens formats, the fan experience, doping, player welfare, women’s rugby and developing the game in the areas like the US.

Opening the discussion Gopser expressed his view that the sport is a “scrum going forward”, claiming participation levels of 7.2 million people across the world, as well as an increase of 25 per cent in North America of women playing the sport.

In particular the panel focused on the development of the sport into markets such as Asia and North America, viewed as crucial to its growth, and the re-introduction of rugby onto the Olympic sports programme and the development of the HSBC Rugby Sevens Series were hailed as a step in the right direction.

Friday claimed, due to its Olympic inclusion, Japanese and Chinese schools have put rugby sevens onto the curriculum, while the speed and atmosphere of matches appeals towards an American audience, which he believes would help people take an interest in the sport.

“What you have with the sevens tournaments is a carnival and supporters are very much part of the experience,” he said.

“There is so much going on in the stadium and in the terraces, it is very different to 15-a-side, and it is an all-day experience.”

Farve, a Superbowl winner in 1997, believes rugby could benefit from partnering with the NFL in initiatives in the future to help develop and educate Americans about rugby in the future, while Gosper revealed discussions have taken place regarding establishing a semi-professional league in the country.

Rugby sevens, it was agreed, is vital to spreading the sport worldwide, particularly in smaller nations, Gosper also believes the 15-a-side version is in excellent shape ahead of the World Cup but admits education was crucial in helping the sport gain fans and thrive.

The Australian revealed how throughout the tournament they would be using videos to explain various rules to new spectators, while presenters would also be in grounds to provide explanations to fans prior to and during half-times of matches.

Additionally,  Gosper revealed the world governing body were keen two support smaller nations, such as Fiji and Tonga, to help make the sport more competitive at the elite level, revealing that around £53 million ($82 million/€73 million) in funding had been given to “tier two” nations in recent years to help them prepare for the tournament.

The issue of player welfare was another area discussed and Gosper claimed there had been no increase in injury rates since 2002 at the elite level of the game, citing a reduction in anterior cruciate ligament injuries but an increase in concussions, due to the issue having been highlighted and understood more.

Jones, who coached Australia to the 2003 Rugby World Cup final, joined the World Rugby chief executive in claiming there was also "no complacency" in the sport regarding the issue of doping, following Gosper's assertion that World Rugby had increased funding to tackle the issue by 30 per cent.