The number of season long injuries in the first half of season is a worry

A significant number of games are now starting to to look like basketball scores.

Good to see a couple of the non favoured clubs up the top.

Wigans crowd last week was a worry, how are crowds looking this year?

We do have a lot of mediocrity now in Superleague now that the effect of a low salary cap and the unavailability of the top quality player starts to bite. With probably the possible exception of Warringon and Catalan all the other "top clubs" have dropped down a level instead of the "bottom clubs" raising the quality of super league.
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There is also the threat of our small top quality pool of players sinking to the southern hemisphere for both the challenge and the australian dollar.

I would agree with this on the whole.

Warrington,Wigan and Catalans should make the top 4 from here and the other spot seems up for grabs, probably between Saints and Hull FC.The Widnes bubble appears to have burst but they could still make the 8. Although the general standard has been poor, hopefully the Super eights should be good quality and i expect the play offs to throw up some quality games as always.

Hopefully Catalans make OT, would be great for the competition.

How does the salary cap here or down under explain the total lack of WC half backs or general paucity of quality backs in this country?

Good question, but this has been an issue for a long, long time over here. Can surely only be down to the quality of coaching, or lack of.

Quite simple, too many ex forwards as coaches.

Two bright spots: Catalans retaining second place on the ladder, despite injuries and suspensions, and in the Championship London Broncos are definitely top two.

Third Bright Spot: in League One Toulouse appear headed for top 2 position, despite their draw with wicked Rochdale.

Look to the junior game to see the antecedent to that problem - community teams, coached to win by angry Dads with a level 2 coaching badge that they earned through a half day course; pass it to the big lad, stick the little ones on the wing and take to Twitter to laud the achievements of your young charges.

If only it was that simple.

I fully agree with you.

I guess many on here have played amateur Rugby as a young lad and seen It was always the biggest strongest most developed lad put at 6 or 13 or in a role where the ball handler should be. Its generally all about winning at that level and not enough focus on the goal of developing the right lads in their correct roles.

My eldest lad was very lightweight as a seven and eight year old but could pass a lot better than any other kid in his team and more accurately than most of the coaches. He would regularly, and without prompting from his coach, deliberately pass the ball over the head or behind the coaches chosen first receiver (the big lad) straight into the hands of a better placed runner further wide. He gave up playing as his name was never called to get a run with the ball and was invariably substituted as soon as he missed a tackle hence he rarely played for more than five minutes in a game.

Just to add, he's nineteen now and whilst not a big lad he's a solid 5'10" of bone and muscle. Not for one second suggesting that he could/would have made it if he'd continued to play, but I'm sure there are plenty like him out there who could have but were put off and allowed to slip through the net by 'angry dads' who wanted to win at any cost.