Quote ="tigertot"Interestingly, easily the best half backs over the last couple of seasons have been Luke Gale & whoever has been at stand off. Cas's coaching team are 3 ex half backs. Most teams seem to be coached by (brain dead?) ex front rowers.'"
Think having former halves on the coaching staff can only help younger ones develop. They understand what a half wants and can structure the team in such a way to help them maximise the talent they have. If you watch the way Cas set up in attacking positions, it's all structured around giving Gale options when he goes at the line and letting him make a decision whether to run or pass, and if he is going to pass which runner he wants to hit.
That said, you can put all the structures you like in place but if a young player isn't prepared to put the hours in on the training pitch to make sure their passing is sharp and accurate under pressure then it's wasting your time. See so many young halves who look up and if they see half a gap their first instinct is to tuck the ball under their arm and throw a huge sidestep, irrespective of what play might be on outside them. George Williams is a prime example, yet he got in the England side. Where's the incentive for him to go away and work on his game awareness, passing and understanding of structures?
