 On 26 August 1995 the IRFB, now known as the International Rugby Board, declared rugby union an "open" game and thus removed all restrictions on payments or benefits to those connected with the game.According to "The New York Times" at the time, "Thirteen-man rugby league has shown itself to be a faster, more open game of better athletes than the other code.Rugby union is trying to negotiate its own escape from amateurism, with some officials admitting that the game is too slow, the laws too convoluted to attract a larger TV following".