Exactly how a lot of the SL clubs looked back in the 90's when we played SL v NRL. I can't remember, but didn't only 2 SL sides actually get a win each?

BUT, to be fair, I think some of the England players lost concentration during the long time it took to handle Shenton's injury. Unfortunately the Aussies remained more focussed and also gained their breath.

Get the kids playign in summer too when the conditions are more suited to the more skillful aspects of the game.

That's closer to the real issue, and Bullseye alluded to it too.

You can whinge all you like about coaches, selection and tactics but the UK simply does not produce young players of the standard that the Australian junior system does.

By the time young players make it into the pro ranks, coaches shouldn't have to be teaching them basic skills like passing accurately on the move. For whatever reason however, they are having to. Watch games in the Foundation Academy (or whatever the Under 16 level is called these days), there are kids sadly lacking in basics who have probably been regarded as stars in their amateur age groups.

Now that is an absolute essential. Get RL out of the cold and wet, and get the kids involved in conditions when they want to be outside.

Also, a huge push in schools. Organise league competitions for schools so that all the teams have to do is turn up, and you'd see a sudden increase in school playing numbers.

There are things we can do, but they require time and money.

When we start the season in February and end it in October that is hardly likely.

Kids' seasons are shorter, and anyway, cutting out November, December and January is worth the effort alone.

Not to mention gaining June, July and August.

I think the two plays that got bURGESS AWAY SHOWED THE POTNETIAL FOR THE FUTURE. oNCE OUR HALF BACKS GET USED TO PUTTING OUR TALENTED FORWARDS INTO HOLES AND WE GET A HOOKER WITH A DECENT BRAIN AND PASSING GAME WE WILL be a very different side.

It's impossible to do both of the things you suggest in your opening two paragraphs.

If we're going to push the game in schools then youth RL has to stay a Winter game; no school over the summer = no RL.

One way around this may be to play schools RL through the Winter and Amatuer youth RL through the summer, thus giving school kids year round RL.

I agree with your sentiments though, the only way we're going to get a stronger side is increasing the player base. To that end, the RFL are to be applauded for their recent in-roads into London's schools.

Speaking as a teacher, I know that the perception of many is that there's no school during summer. But actually we're only talking 6 weeks, in the hottest months, when a lot of kids go on holidays anyway. In addition, clubs (as opposed to schools) can keep going throughout the summer holidays. So moving kids' rugby to a spring/summer/autumn, rather than an autumn/winter/spring season, is perfectly feasible.

Speaking as a London teacher currently responsible for the best girls' team in the south of England (can you tell I'm proud of that ?) I can also say that while the RFL is offering coaching in patches of London and the SE (it's a big place for a few blokes to cover), what isn't yet available is any form of organised competition outside of the Carnegie schools, which doesn't begin for a while yet. All our fixtures have to be friendlies organised between schools bilaterally. I'm happy trying to do that, as I'm a RL nut, but most PE Departments are not run by RL nuts, and if you want them to engage in your sport, you have to make it easy for them. RU, by contrast, has well-established and well-administered schools' competitions which schools simply sign up to at the start of the year and then they have a goal and a structure to go along with.

Obviously as a girls' coach, I'm aware there's a real lack of teams out there, so I'm not being critical of the RFL, who understandably make boys' RL their top priority. But I'm not aware of any particular non-Carnegie competitive league competition for boys in London schools either.

Anyway, I digress. Getting youth rugby into summer is probably the single biggest short-term thing we could do to start helping youth development.

The trouble is that take out November, December and January then take out half of May, June, July and August for exams and holidays and you don't have a great deal left.

Do kids season's (in terms of games) need to mirror those at open age level?

What would be wrong with having (for example) a split junior season starting mid-March and running until the back end of May, then starting again early September until the end of October?

Kids who weren't away or taking exams could continue to train, maybe run some sevens tournaments over the summer so there isn't the same pressure to raise numbers during the holiday season.