So, after 6 rounds are there any eligible England qualified half backs playing to the standard required for the series with NZ?

Matty Smith would have fancied his chances of a recall, but has been well below par so in 2015, but who else is out there? Chase, Sneyd, McGuire.......Brierley?

Jon Wilkin is probably the in form English no. 7 in the competition at the moment.

Sinfield & McGuire?

It's embarrassing how bad we are at producing good halves.

Widdop's been ok even though St.George are terrible this year.

Widdop 7, Tomkins 6, Hardaker 1 (Ratchford 1 if Hardaker is unacceptable to you moralists) is a good combination. Beyond that we haven't got much.

Looking at the English options:

Widdop
Smith
Tomkins
Myler
Sneyd
Gale
McGuire
Brown
Pryce
O'Brien
Bridge
Williams
Sutcliffe
Ratchford
Mellor
Ellis
Chase

It's very depressing reading... Widdop and Tomkins is the only competitive combination we could put out at the moment, and one of them hasn't played in the halves for 5 years! It would be nice if Eastmond didn't make the England RU world cup squad and was snapped up by an RL club.

I think there is another NRL half back who qualifies for England. Is it Trent Hodgkinson?

Can't believe people are forgetting English superstars such as Lance Hohaia, Scott Dureau, Todd Carney, Luke Walsh?

Always on the cards. They could qualify from ancestry if Banished is anything to go by





As long as management/coaches believe the likes of Sculthorpe, Sinfield etc were the best half backs available, then you knew the game was in trouble and the action taken to remedy the situation since then?

Import more overseas halfbacks.

This is usually followed by "why cant' we beat the Aussies/Kiwis/ Samoans?" and struggle against the rest at times.

Not that there is an obvious answer that involves a hell of a lot of HARD WORK.

Nah take the easy option. RL in GB in the 21st century, let others do it for us.

Smith and Widdop odds on faves to be the partnership for the NZ tests

7. Danny Brough

6. Gareth Widdop

Ought to be, in a sane universe. But never will be.

I really don't have enormous issue with the incumbents. Smith has been ordinary in an ordinary Wigan side this season, but that need not be an issue at international level. Playing behind the Burgess boys, Jammer, and Co should provide a better platform.

In the event of one or more of those two being injured/unavailable, it does get more problematical. I used to think Ratchford, but he plays mostly full-back these days, and I'm not sure his kicking game is good enough. Really, I'd be happy to see Sam T at 6 or 7. We have other options at full-back now.

im sure there will be a young academy product who plays a few games for one of the top clubs who we could fast track after 5 games, isn't that the way to go now?

Smith blew the best opportunity England will have for some time to come. Had he possessed any kind of credentials at the absolute top level he would have nailed home the massive advantage we had in forward power that day.

If Jon Wilkin can fathom the obvious benefits of kicking early and deep when you have a clear advantage in the forwards then Smith (who, after all, is a forwards' scrum half) should have been screaming for the ball on 4th tackle every set.

Instead he went completely into his shell and was never seen again. Totally unsuitable for future internationals. Ditto Brough, who the Aussies would be fighting each other to get to knowing full well that he'd shut up shop and go home after the first late hit.

Widdop and Sinfield.

Danny Brough and Kevin Sinfield should never wear an England shirt. Why they ever did in the first place is still a mystery!

Sinfield's retired from internationals.

I'd go with Tomkins and Widdop with Smith as backup.

He maybe retired but that would be my selection.

Tomkins is a full back.

But easily has the skills necessary to play a running half back role alongside Widdop or Smith.

If he carries on his club form, George Williams is going to be a bolter for selection.

Looks much the more dangerous of Wigan's half backs at the moment.

Yes I think he does but he's the Blues no.1 half back from last season so there's no chance he'd play for England.

Scary thing is where are the next lot going to come from. Half backs arentraditionally small, and aren't usually physically ready for first team rugby early in their careers. So if they're older than 19, but not quite physically ready for first team rugby, they don't play. We've got an exciting half back called Adam Brook who isn't getting much game time at the moment for that reason. To be playing regularly rugby at that age is crucial.

Coaches have to be brave to play half backs. Shaun Wane is getting unfair critisism for being brave enough to give George Williams a chance. Williams is showing his rawness with some good touches and plenty of mistakes. But because half back is such a crucial role, the mistakes are more costly. A young prop can be eased in and run of the back of good work of the other 3 senior props. Half back you become the main man for the team and. Can't afford to make too may mistakes. So coaches don't play them.

Saints would rather play a second rower and a painfully slow full back at half than give some one from the academy a chance. Leeds have Liam Sutcliffe but only plays if Sinield or McGuire are injured.

Even when we so find a decent HB, coaches put hem to FB as they're obsessed with the FB "chiming in to the line"

We did it with Gaskell last year.


Until we scrap the awful dual reg and bring back a reserves, then less half backs will be brought through.

I don't think Hodkinson is all that anyway. Good goal-kicker, though.

Hull are pinning a lot of their hopes on Harry Tyson Wilson but he's not long turned 18 and needs to develop a little physically first. However he's one of the best I've seen at his age, obviously players don't always make the step up, but potentially he could be a real star.

We've only gone with Williams because our chairman is too tight to buy a decent 6.
Williams only played SO 5 times last year while he played Hooker 15 times.

Yet this season his square peg is being forced into the round hole at 6 and he is looking uncomfortable.

Given how Lee Gaskell is going for your team at present I rather think criticism of Saints in this regard is misplaced. Within the last decade we have produced two halfbacks who have gained representative honours in Kyle Eastmond and Matty Smith, and two further halfbacks who play for yourselves (Lee Gaskell) and Huddersfield (Jamie Ellis). In addition we produced Jonny Lomax although he was moved to fullback by Nathan Brown although IMO he's a better six. We have done our fair share of producing halfbacks. At present we are going through a fallow spell in the halves but are producing some good young forwards. I don't know whether we have any halfbacks of the right standard in the youth leagues at present only that the under 19s 7 is training with the first team.