The proof of this is clearly evident in youth selection policies all over Wigan borough, for one. Lads who are big at 13 and get noticed because they can knock smaller lads down seem to get automatic service area selection (even if they don't trial for service area

). It doesn't make those who are selected particularly good RL players IMO, and doesn't mean they'll be anything at all when the smaller lads - who often have great skill and tenacity, which is overlooked - grow to be a similar size. The problem is that the smaller lads, who may pound for pound have a better attitude and be better all-round athletes may by then have lost interest.

Good post again Jon, thanks.

So if a 6"2 15 stone lad is earmarked as a forward, are you saying that his development, ie, diet, skills development and physical training are purely geared towards that of a forward? Do clubs never try and change them into backs?

More than Graham does. He was made to look like a random in the world cup. The aussies, New Zealanders and even the PNG forwards made him look ordinary. Yes hes game. Yes he does a ton of work, but he lacks that bit extra against world class forwards. Hes never going to get you on the front foot like someone like Morley would. Peacock has the "odd" decent game against the aussies, but again, consistently isnt a threat to their forwards because they out muscle him and win the collision in defense.

Maybe the examples I gave of players, werent the best, but what i was alluding to is we need Forwards on a par with the aussies if we are to compete. Much was made, pre world cup about how this was the best english pack for years and how it would match the aussies, when in reality, what happened was they were dominated to such an extent they looked like rank amatuers.

Im not even going to touch on the backs anymore because as it stands, we are never going to be able to compete with theirs bar some sort of miracle. I would say the aussies could field 4-5 backlines that would be as good as ours. Hell even a toyota cup backline wouldnt look out of place.

Dont our youth national teams beat the Ozzies when they play?

I personally have never seen this quality of player that is far superior to anything in super league when watching RU.

If anything the standards of the average RU are quite frankly disgraceful for professional players in this day and age.

Simple tackling and passing dont seem to be natural to them in the majority.

We have won a few series of late as have they, but we simply do not transfer these players through to top internationals like the Aussies do which highlights the failures in the system.

The tackling in rugby union is very good hence the reason they have to resort to kicking to win, it also takes usually decent skill for a back to score due to the extra men forwards tries while usually dull as dishwater to rely on power and grinding down the opposition. Its not my cup of tee at all but i can see that the skills are different to our but at least on a par which they certainly were not 5 years ago.

They have embraced professionalism, while we have simply bought into our own hype and stagnated due to our restrictive rules and lack of ambition.

Peacock vs Petro or Price is a no brainer as in who is better really isn’t it.

I also agree when you look at the likes of Graham, Sinfield, Hock, Lockers, Roby or Westwood they aren’t the greatest players we’ve ever produced are they! Yes they are good players but not on par with what we had a few seasons ago imo;

Fielden (ignore current form he really was a beast back in the day)
Cunningham
Morley
Peacock
Farrell
Sculthorpe

Bench=
Anderson
Newton
McDermot
O’Connor

When you think that starting pack wasn’t even good enough u can see how little chance the current incumbents have. The pack I’ve named above imo is the closest we’ve had to anything looking like a true world class pack in a good long while. Some of the players there were truly top tier of the game players like Scully, Faz & Cunningham and others like Morley, Peacock, Fielden and Newton were as good as their Aussie counter parts like Crocker etc.

Standards have slipped alarmingly over the last 4-5 seasons. The Soopah Doopah League structures just aren't producing enough world class players.