Think it's a number of things.

One of them I think coaches (this includes scouts, youth coaches and SL coaches) aren't giving young half backs a chance as supposedly too small, not big enough physically for SL etc.

Also think it is hard for coaches to bring a young half back through as it is all or nothing. You can bring a prop through, give him 15 mins and break him in. With a half back they'll probably be playing 80mins and they have massive responsibility on them of organising the team, kicking game, planning moves etc coaches don't trust the young players with the responsibility.

The decision to scrap U21's will further hinder this. Half backs are generally small. So they don't fill out until later on. So once they reach 19 they have to either be duel reg (but not a lot of championship clubs will want their main pivot a young inexperienced 19 year old. ) So they may not be playing any rugby.

We have a young half back called Adam Brook who's just been given full time contract. He's be playing exceptionally well in the u19's and is now full time. Looks a great prospect. Problem is now, he's unlikely to go on duel reg as most clubs don't want anything to do with it now. Also we're In championship so we're unlikely to duel reg to teams in same league, so he's not going to be playing any rugby, at the most crucial time of his development!!!!

No one right now is better than Johnson. I don't think Foran was any better than Widdup today.

It does seem to be something to do with the youth set-ups. I ref a fair number of youth games (was at the Broncos' U16s trial a couple of weeks ago), and I see plenty of fast, elusive, confident lads who know how to step and when to lay off a pass - not necessarily small either. The kids are out there. But somehow, they always seem to disappear in their teens, whereas identikit 5'10" solid second-rows seem to be being produced from moulds in pro clubs' back offices.

On the Kyle Eastmond thing, I wonder whether this is an area where the RFL could step in with some salary cap inventiveness. For example, in teaching, when you have a subject with a shortage of applicants (like Physics), the government provides a large Golden Hello, and this is often supplemented by larger pay packets in schools. Could the RFL say, for example, that we have a shortage of half-backs, so we're going to exempt from the salary cap any half-back who is selected for any of the England developmental or full squads. This would then allow clubs, if they unearthed a real gem like Eastmond, to match predatory RU offers. It would also give clubs an incentive to develop half-backs as half-backs, rather than doing what is described in this thread, and taking potential half-backs but then pushing them out to fullback or wing while buying in a tried-and-tested Aussie.

Ryan Hampshire - with any luck. . . In 2-3 years

He'll be moved to FB too.

I think he'll play FB for a couple if seasons then move into the halves

Or hooker........a Aussie schoolboys team came over packed with future stars but was ripped apart by Tommy Lee and Scott Moore who are both now...Hookers.

We find them by letting our young hopefulls play in super league & not like my club go looking down under. We have let a young prospect leave the club to go to Gateshead as he wants to play every week he wont get that as we have gambled on two Aussies one who is injury prone the other 30 years old? we have had Dobson, Burns, Keating, Green only one has given value (Dobson) the rest have gone to supopsedly bigger clubs. While they were at the club I dont recall any youngsters given the chance to even fail in our first team. at least our rivals accross the river have stuck with a good local lad (Abdul) maybe we need an option for the kids after they reach 19.

Anyone think Ratchford is capable of stepping in at 6? Move Widdop to SH and thank Matty Smith for his efforts and let him go back to being a good SL no7. I know Wire play him at FB but for me he's got all the skills to make a top class 6. I certainly think he was worthy of a bench spot the past few weeks with his versatility to cover the whole of the backline. Other than that I'm in agreement with others who've suggested moving ST up into the halves and slotting Hardaker in at the back

That's assuming we've seen the last of Chase of course.

Kevin Brown is the best HB in England (assuming Brough is Scottish). He should have been 6 with Widdop at 7.

And therein lies the problem with the British game - Brown is ok and certainly worth a shout with what we have available, but would he have an impact at International level??

The standard of half back in the modern game, or at least what is demanded of a half back, is very, very average.... A John Woods or a Andy Gregory with this present England side would make a massive difference.

A half back should be a spark - most nowadays are just there to do the basics like pass the ball on along the line, or hoof the ball upfield on the fifth tackle and, bizarrely, anybody who can do this reasonably well, is seen as some sort of genius.

Unfortunately, with kids being brought up on the modern game, which is so sterile and structured, the days of the half back being the master locksmith to an opposition's defence will very soon be long forgotten - Let's not forget, we presently have a champion side which won their title by having NO half backs.

I don't think it's a case of young lads having the spark trained out of them in favour of structure. HB's need to have natural talent. Natural ability. We simply have not produced those types of HB since the likes of Edwards and Gregory. In the same way that Aussies struggle with ball-playing forwards, an area where we produce plenty. People suggesting Brown could do a job at International level are right. He could be an excellent water carrier.

Until another one comes along, and we must be due one, we have to put up with solid HB's like Smith, or stupidly play forwards in the halves.

I agree totally with the natural talent point. However, if young kids are being introduced to the game thinking that the Matty Smith-style of half back is the norm, then it is almost inevitable that any youngster thinking of going the half back route, will grow up believing the modern-day basic method is the way to go and the more old-school off-the-cuff half back will become extinct.

The problem is that many clubs have now adopted the sterile method where flair is a distant second to disciplined structure - Would a teenage John Woods, Andy Gregory, or even Lee Briers be allowed to develop into the off-the-cuff players they were in the 2014 RL academies, or would they have it drilled out of them at an early stage in their careers?