All games are being shown live on the Our League App starting tonight with their game v Yorkshire academy. 7:30 p.m. Then on Saturday 1st December they play Lancashire academy kick off 1:30 p.m. The two test matches v England academy are on Saturday 8th December at Leigh kick off 2 p.m. and Friday 14th December at Leeds kick off 7:30 p.m. https://www.rugby-league.com/article...ian-schoolboys Anybody fancying a beer and a rugby chat we'll be in the Legends bar at Leigh from around 12:30., I'm told that the Aussies have some fabulous talent coming through again!!!

All games are being shown live on the Our League App starting tonight with their game v Yorkshire academy. 7:30 p.m. Then on Saturday 1st December they play Lancashire academy kick off 1:30 p.m. The two test matches v England academy are on Saturday 8th December at Leigh kick off 2 p.m. and Friday 14th December at Leeds kick off 7:30 p.m. https://www.rugby-league.com/article...ian-schoolboys Anybody fancying a beer and a rugby chat we'll be in the Legends bar at Leigh from around 12:30., I'm told that the Aussies have some fabulous talent coming through again!!!

i will try that , Gildart was a standout last time I went good to see him fulfilling that promise Waterworth looked decent against the aussies then lost his way

Just a reminder Lancashire academy v Aussie schools is live on our league app kick off 1:30 pm today.

Keep hearing good things about Morgan Smithies - looking forward to seeing him play.

England squad now named, get yourselves down to Leigh on Saturday, should be a good game. https://www.wiganwarriors.com/news/2018 ... demy-squad

England squad now named, get yourselves down to Leigh on Saturday, should be a good game. https://www.wiganwarriors.com/news/2018 ... demy-squad

Not so polite reminder!!



Get your @rses down to Leigh today and support the young England lads against the Aussies.
Kick off 2 p.m.

If you can't get down there it's being shown live on the our league app.

How much is it to get in?

£5 adults
£3 kids

Cheers bargain

Watching on Ourleague app. Harry Smith is having a great game for England. HT 12:0 to England.

Harry Smith will be sending the excitement levels through the roof for our fans on performances like that. He’s been sensational and has controlled the game like a veteran.

What was the final score.

14-8 to England.

Thanks

Smith was class

Smith was very good today, would be good to see him get a few games next year against lower end of the table teams, important not to rush him but he needs to be given few chances next year I think

It would but it would be even better if there was a clear pathway through to the first team for him in the meantime. The kid will probably go back to playing in a Wigan 19’s team thumping sides next year whilst his Australian opponents will be playing in the various competitions (junior, reserve, feeder leagues etc) open to them. Today proves there’s little problem with the young talent available to us but under the current set up many will be lost to the game.

Agree fully it will be nice to see him get some first team games next year but the bigger picture is such a frustration.

You’re spot on, it would be nice to see him go out on loan to somewhere like Leigh for a year get that experience and then come back to Wigan, but it would good to see him play for Wigan next year as well. Like you say the talent of the young players is no problem at all, it’s finding them consistent game time against players of the same caliabre that’s the issue.

Regarding our halves it will probably be Woods and Shorrocks who go out on loan if anyone does. Having Tommy/Sammut and then Smith as halves isn’t a bad option with the other two getting regular time in championship

Bang on pal
I'd bet that the Aussie schoolboys players usually have a far better development pathway to the first team than our boys normally have,Although I do believe that this current crop of junior talent in SL will make an exception to that rule as IMO their is an exceptional batch of very talented players across all of the clubs and that they all have a clear pathway to SL

There was some outstanding talent on show yesterday, on both sides. The conditions did make the game difficulty but Harry Smith controlled everything from an England perspective and was a deserved m.o.m.
Ehan Havard again impressed as did Jack Welsby, Harry Newman and Corey Johnson.

The comments above about a viable pathway are spot on, and is the main reason I've been "banging on" about reserve grade for years.

Unless the quality of a reserve competition is significantly higher than the current u19s, then I think a reserve league is pointless, and would just dilute the already shallow player pool even further.

If we had a reserve league we could potentially turn out a side along the following lines (if everyone was fit for first team duty)

Escare
Davies Hankinson Forsyth Marshall
Woods Smith
Tautai Ganson Bullock
Paisley Wells Smithies

Kibula Byrne Partington Shorrocks

We’re not the only club with a good academy and good depth so it would undoubtedly be a better standard then u19’s rugby. I’d love us to have enough finance to do a Barcelona and run a second team in either league one or even the championship.

I agree with Nicky Kiss we should run a team in the Championship, as should the others interested in a reserve team. The teams running a ‘B Team’ should get extra on the salary cap, players can move to and from the top team to the B Team. If we follow the Spanish rules with regards to promotion and relegation it could work. It would improve player development as a B Team is much more preferable to dual registration. Keeping a player in his usual surroundings and playing alongside those he trains with has to be better than training with one team and playing with another.

How many of those players aren't eligible for the u19s? 5? Introducing a reserve league would just dilute the quality of the u19s, which is already pretty low, and or increase the workload on some of the u19s players who would have to play in both competitions.
Personally, I would just rebrand the u19s as the reserves which would allow first team players to gain and maintain match fitness, it would alow younger players who aren't quite ready for SL more time to develop and it would improve the quality of players the u19 players would be facing each week.

Only Smith and Smithies from that team can play U19's next season.