Good post, and Saints are a good example. Very well drilled; everyone knew what their role was/is and their structures, but within their structures they can play, especially their 1, 6, 7 and 9. The spine.

Maybe we have had the wrong balance? Winning trophies and reduced attendances sounds like a oxymoron to me.

Sorry to disagree but I dont in general like "impact" players. If they were any good they would be in the starting 13.
Name me half a dozen great or even really good impact players?
I know that you will name some and im sure they may be decent players but if they are that good why put them on the bench?? Will your list of impact players include any backs?

Multiple substitutions leads to athletes rather than rugby players.

I can name some but I don’t see the point. You clearly aren’t a fan of impact players, which is fine by the way it’s not a criticism of you but me naming some won’t change your mind.

Re balance perhaps we did but it was successful. I would much rather a SW type style that was consistently winning trophies and beating our nearest and dearest rivals than a free-flowing, no idea what we’re doing style we adopted last season which resulted in us being torn to pieces by Saints each time we played them and in reality we were never really serious contenders for the SL trophy.

I’m not convinced Lam has the credentials or ability to strike that balance. We have the players to do it but it’s the coach where the biggest question mark is for me.

Good post mate. The irony with Lam is all he claimed to improve has gone backward. We're not getting free-flow rugby; we're getting a disorganised mess.

I actually do see the advantage of 'impact players' At times the teams energy can drop if the other team is getting on the front foot or if they've seen a lot of ball. Impact players (for example Rob Burrow) added energy, speed at a time when the oppositions forwards energy is dropping. I've seen games changed with an impact player comes off the bench.

What about other sports? I suspect there are moves from NFL, NBA and NHL which could translate, plus obviously RU

Why complicate matters when you can look back and see ready made set plays from the great teams of the 90's that would work today?

Its all about sending defenders the wrong way and at the wrong men. What worked to confuse defenders back then will mostly still work today.

This is one of the reasons i wanted the club to bring in Andy Gregory to work with our half backs. We need somebody that can think outside of todays robotic structure obsessed setup. Thats not to say throw the modern game out of the window but merge the old and new together and get the best of both worlds.