Don't know what your lifetime is but it remains a mystery why a sport that from the 1960s to the 1990s turned out superstar half backs like the following just can't produce one or two today:

David Eckersley
Alan Hardisty
Chris Hesketh
Tommy Bishop
Graham Steadman
Tony Myler
Parry Gordon
Alex Murphy
Sean Edwards
Roger Millward
John Woods
Gary Schofield
Dave Topliss
Andy Gregory
Ken Kelly
Steve Nash

There isn't the patience to coach youngsters into becoming top quality HB's, when there are so many "better" options down under.
It's easier and cheaper for clubs to go for an Aussie import, rather than put the effort in with home grown players.
We may even have lost the ability to produce top quality international halves, which would be scary.

But this isn't a thread about England half backs in your lifetime ......

Any decent half backs coming through at other clubs? I know Hull have a young lad they rate. At Bradford we've got a young lad called Adam Brook, been given a full time contract recently and his highly thought of at the club.

Dave Hewitt is the latest Saints academy standoff whose close to breaking through according to Brown. Played for england academy in May, but has another year of 19s left I think. The scrum half in the age group below (Rob Fairclough) has potential too Im told - but theyre a good 5 years away

I'd actually like to see more of an emphasis on touch and tag rugby at younger levels.

A lot of junior teams seem to be focused around "big lads" - early developers who can simply run their way through weaker teams. There is no emphasis on creative play because, frankly, there doesn't need to be.

Touch, which removes that element altogether and puts the emphasis on speed, evasiveness and creativity, is extremely popular in Australia. Perhaps that's part of the story why they regularly produce better half backs?

Yes and maybe if Sinfield had kicked the ball dead and we'd had a minute to rest and get organised Burgess might not have made a high tackle which to me seemed clearly down to fatigue.

widdop and chase it is then?

shame we cant tempt brough back to england!

Widdop, yes, Chase - definitely not.

who else then?

i think chase had a fall out with the coach so might not be in with a chance again.

kev brown?

This is the same in most junior sports, the "early developers" prosper due to physical size and strength and less emphasis is given to developing skills.
Again, although it's not the same at every club/sport, there is so much effort devoted to winning, the finer arts go out of the window.

Whether touch rugby is the answer, I don't know but, it would make the playing field more level at an early age.

Also, the move from 6 yards to 10 metres made the game more about power, rather than craft but, I don't see us reverting to 6 yards any time soon.

Agree entirely!

As a lad I know playing touch rugby improved both my speed and handling.
It takes some of the fear out of it that some kids have and also takes away a lot of the aggression/intimidation seen at too many amateur games both on the pitch and from parents.

Touch is also great for keeping adults involved, a part of amateur RL very much neglected in my opinion.

Quote ="knockersbumpMKII"ER..Yes it was, I watched it this afternoon to be sure @43:58..https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95gof3Yfbos King Kev is the number seven that hoofs it aimslessly into the Kiwi full backs hands, he then jogs upfield and joins into the defence clear as day. No need to apologise '" Why did I just watch that again?!

Quote ="knockersbumpMKII"ER..Yes it was, I watched it this afternoon to be sure @43:58..https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95gof3Yfbos King Kev is the number seven that hoofs it aimslessly into the Kiwi full backs hands, he then jogs upfield and joins into the defence clear as day. No need to apologise '" Why did I just watch that again?!

Think the time's past for Brough, Brown, Burrow and McGuire now as far as internationals are concerned. Why replace a 33 year old with another 30+ half back? Need to be looking at younger options. There may be Wigan bias here but I think a Widdop/Smith pairing would go well. A genuine 6/7 combination. Sneyd may well become a top class half back but I think he needs another decent season in SL before being considered for England. We've got some decent youngsters like Gareth O'Brian and Sam Powell who I don't think will ever be world beaters, we really are struggling for good English halves. You only have to look at how many clubs have an Aussie at 6 and/or 7 who wouldn't get near a NRL starting line-up to see this.

One of the main problems we're having when producing young halves in this country is a lot of the good ones are natural runners rather than an organiser, so they're more suited to the modern fullback role than playing in the halves. We've seen Tomkins and Lomax move from the halves to FB and it looks like the same is going to happen with Ryan Hampshire at Wigan.

Why has Tomkins looked more like a Half than a running Fullback for the Warriors then?

could go with the widdop/smith combo.. lomax too must be high on the list

or tomkins and hardaker at full back

Don't have you have to have played at international level before you can retire? I can't remember the forehead ever playing for England :s

Regards

King James

Great post! Dime Bar?

Great post! Dime Bar?

Your memory must be gash then.

I remember him playing against the Aussies on numerous occasions.

















But I can’t for the life of me remember any incident he’ll be remembered for

.

Yes, he takes all the kick-offs and drop outs and is heavily involved in the tactical kicking. He is now coming in a second receiver for many plays. I think now is the time to move him up at test level and have the more defensively assured and direct running Hardaker at full-back.

It would be Tomkins/Widdop for me with Hardaker at 1.

I agree.its not like Tomkins hasn't played half before and to have somebody like Hardaker kicking his heels in reserve seems a waste, and defensive side of his game is superior to sam's.

Hardaker shouldn't be selected because of his homophobic slur against warrington. Rugby league cannot be seen to condone homophobia.
Tomkins shouldn't be selected because he was caught on LIVE TV doing the 2 finger salute. Rugby league is a family game.
G.Burgess shouldn't be selected because he admitted damaging property in cairns. Rugby league cannot be seen to condone vandals.
James Graham shouldn't be selected as he was banned for biting billy slaters ear. Rugby league cannot be seen to condone canabalism.

If the above are selected it will cost rugby league millions in lucrative sponsorship deals.

Okay, don't forget Chris Heighington for impersonating an international quality forward

Sure it will, cos we have sponsors falling all over themselves don't we??

Suppose you can include Jarrod Haynes, Greg Bird and any the other Antipods who have past form in your statement about lost sponsorship?

Don't be so foolish.