Just wondering if anyone else feels like this.

I remember watching Great Britain play and being generally impressed at the line ups, whereas in recent years the England squads have felt, in some way, not as good.

I dont know if this is down to not having as many big big names, like Farrell and Scully, Newton etc or something else but I have found that if someone has worn a GB shirt I have a lot more respect for that player than someone who has only worn an England shirt, it seems like a weaker version.

Just me or anyone else feel like that?

That's because the standard is crap these days.

i think your right.
Apparently sl is producing more home grown player these days than the sport as ever produced before.Even if thats true its clearly obvious these players are of the same standard,and that standard isnt good enough.
Theres a bradford fan who posts on here and he's said for a while now that the reduction in overseas players coming here has had a detrimental effect on the standard of home grown players being produced,i always thought he was wrong,i'm now starting to think he was/is right.

Look at the 1994 GB team that beat Australia at Wembley. That team would beat England every day of the week imo.

Then take the England v Wales semi final in 1995 and compare that Welsh side to the current one. No contest. (even the England side is no contest)

Thers been some seriously quality welsh teams in years gone bye,its a shame we'll never see that again since union went pro

No it wouldn't. The 2012 team is so much fitter, stronger and (Offiah aside) faster than the 1994 team, they would wipe the floor with them.

You can't compare teams from different generations, its just daft.

They're far more skillful. If they had the same fitness programs that the current side have then they would destroy them.

I think we are lacking genuinely world class players at the moment in key positions. We probably have 2-3 that would make a World top 25 players list compared 6-7 in the early 90's. Need more top RU converts, allow any club making a profit be able to sign any Home Nations International RU player salary cap exempt. Would bolster the GB squad (please bring GB back!) and bring some fresh talent into RL. Reality is with the number of kids we have playing the game and the development structures we have the cream at the top is always going to be a very thin lair.

I think it's partly rose tinted glasses, while people remember the days of Gary Schofield and Martin Offiah being great, lets not forget that in the later 90's Paul Atcheson was once the GB starting full back. Richard Horne was once a GB winger, Karle Hammond a Standoff.

I think with players like Tomkins, Hall, Burgess, Graham, Ellis, Roby, Reed & Widdop, with some really good young players coming through we're going in the right direction.

One must remember we're not pinching 4-5 of Union's best players anymore. It's rather disturbing how dependent our sport was on such a small core, but influential bunch of converts. Makes you think we never as a sport truly produced enough quality players.

are we i hope you are right lets hope so it does get waiting for a team England or G Britain to beat the Aussies

our problem at the elite level is and always will be not having the depth of talent. We can put a 17 out of our very best all in form and fit we can be in with a shot. but if we have to rely on the 2nd best players in positions we are stuffed. This is the big difference with both NZ and Oz being able to call on 2-3 very top quality players in most positions. As usual we will once again have a pack to match them in the next WC but our backs will be sadly lacking. Hence why I would have gone out last year and let clubs sign RU backs!

Why would any union player want to come to a sport that can't pay him near what he will be getting from union? or get any value from image rights. In the past the few that did come made the choice to get a paid & set up thier family, mostly working class Welsh lads.

That's why I'd let the profitable clubs splash some cash, If Leeds or Wigan want to spend 250k bringing a world class halfback or centre or wing from RU to League then let them! We all benefit if it helps England win the WC or GB win the Ashes, if the RFL ever see sense and bring back GB v Oz!

In a sport which has just 5 countries with a professional team (Aus, NZ, Eng, Wales, France) it makes absolutely no sense to put two of them together.

Playing Wales isn't ideal but it's far better than playing nobody.