Fans have flocked to rugby union in the professional era

However despite, or indeed arguably because of that success, there is increasing conflict between the game's various vested interests which players' chief Damian Hopley says could spill over at some stage into a player revolt.

BBC Sport's Matt Majendie outlines the problems - and some potential solutions. Do you agree? Let us know.

PROBLEM:
Injuries are at an all-time high in England, with Premiership clubs losing up to 23 squad members each this season.

English club players play 22 league games a season, plus domestic and European competitions, potentially play-off finals and internationals.

But according to ex-England international Lawrence Dallaglio, that can mean "71 games in two seasons - that's one every 10 days"

England coach Andy Robinson: "Injuries are part of the sport but I think players are going to start having three or four years taken off their careers."

SOLUTION?:
Fewer games, bigger squads, a clearer rest period and a fresh approach to training have all become musts.

Dallaglio: Union in danger of burnout

Ex-England captain Lawrence Dallaglio: "What concerns me is the length of the season in this part of the world, the amount of games, the level of the training and what players are being asked to do."

Josh Lewsey: "Just as important as the games is the training. It's rugby training that takes it out of you."

PROBLEM:
Debate rages over whether promotion and relegation should even exist. Benefactors of Premiership clubs are reluctant, in some cases, to add further investment with the fear of relegation looming.

Some believe removing that uncertainty would enable more investment, thus allowing the sport to grow.

Northampton owner Keith Barwell: "I used to be a big believer in promotion and relegation but am now not so sure... and not just because we're in danger of relegation."

SOLUTION?:
Promotion remains a must to stop lower division rugby from becoming extinct.

Have Your Say on Scrum V What's the solution?

Barwell: "We get the PR on this wrong every season and end up scrambling about in the dark. We need to sit down at the start of next season and resolve it once and for all."

PROBLEM:
At present, the average attendance for a Premiership rugby game is on a par with League One football, in part due to the small crowd capacity at stadia.

Stadium investment is a must to enable higher attendances, more money and thus less need for as many games.

Have Your Say on Scrum V What's the solution?

SOLUTION?:
Leicester are bidding to share the town's football stadium next season, to increase attendance, while Northampton and Harlequins are among the sides increasing their ground capacity.

PROBLEM:
The RFU pay clubs �30,000 compensation a year per England player on the understanding they are released for international duty.

The trouble is, it is hard to replace players of such calibre even with �30k.

And it means many clubs are forced to play large chunks of the season without their best - and biggest crowd-pulling - players.

Players' chief Damian Hopley: "If we don't do anything in that respect, we'll be totally incapable of defending our World Cup crown."

SOLUTION?:
Even the club owners realise greater access is required. Central contracts is one answer, although not entirely popular because it could mean some clubs having no internationals on show at all.

Have Your Say on Scrum V What's the solution?

Barwell: "If central contracts came in we wouldn't have any England players here. We'd go for more retired internationals and foreign players. And that's not good for the future of the international side."

PROBLEM:
Clubs in the Zurich Premiership are allocated a �2m wage bill to pay their players in a season. This cap is being raised to �2.25m next season, but many argue it should be higher.

Barwell: "It doesn't take a genius to work out that, if you are struggling with a squad of 30 players, you need a bigger squad."

SOLUTION?:
There are heavily mixed views over this issue. Some believe increasing the salary cap will merely fudge the issue, simply enabling the big-name players to earn even more without increased squads really being addressed.

Have Your Say on Scrum V What's the solution?

Others say it will enable increased squads, therefore lessening the pressure on individual players.

PROBLEM:
Opinion differs massively over the best way to structure the season.

Some have argued the Powergen Cup and some of the lesser European competitions need to be scrapped, while many believe the Six Nations needs to be played in one block at the start/end of the season to avoid club clashes.

The trouble is, there are several vested interests - from the clubs to the RFU to BBC Sport, which currently holds the Six Nations TV rights - who want differing things.

The players, concerned by the injury toll, are also starting to demand that their views are taken into account.

Ireland full-back Geordan Murphy: "There are so many games now it's becoming like a money-making scheme."

SOLUTION?:
This has arguably more different solutions than all the above issues combined.

Barwell: "I like the idea of (splitting) the country into 14 franchises. For example there's nothing for Devon and Cornwall. You could have Northampton as the team for east Anglia, Leicester for midlands etc. That way we can have a national game."

Have Your Say on Scrum V What's the solution?

Hopley: "The time has come to ditch the European Shield and Challenge Cup and play the Powergen Cup at the start of the season."

On Friday: Players, coaches and fans give their thoughts on professionalism ten years on, plus we publish the full, shocking injury list of Zurich Premiership players.