The starting point should be schools.

Sorry I misunderstood. But that is our only option if we are to improve the international game in the short-term as the quality of SL does not test the best players we have got on a regular basis. Look at how New Zealand and Samoa have come on leaps and bounds since their players flooded into the NRL.

Spot-on.

If only league was played in schools nationwide, eh? Is that a pipe-dream, or should campaigning towards that be one of the RFL's biggest objectives?

Nationwide? There's no chance of that when there's schools in Wigan where RL isn't played, especially at junior school level. From my experience it all depends on the background of the PE teacher, if they are 'football' or 'rugby'. If its rugby then lessons tend to be split, if its football then rugby tends to get pushed out completely.

I know even when I was a lad at Mornington High in Hindley we only had Union as the PE teacher played union.I dont know about now though.

All my mates played for Thomas More in the early sixties I attended Gidlow School Beech Hill they only played football we asked could we have a Rugby team as we had over 20 interested head master said no chance.

Pipe dream.

The focus needs to be on driving kids towards community clubs because the schools system is as bad as it has ever been and getting worse by the day.

Some obvious points coming up, but they need making. Rugby League is a shambles. There is no money in it.
Many “fans” seem to be unconcerned with anything more than 5 miles from their home. Super League clubs are allowed to play in dirty and ramshackle grounds. There is very little in the way of career progression, as some teams have little or nothing in the way of academies. Most club sponsors seem to be small local businesses, as they have always been. I don’t think much has really changed since I started watching in 1966. I’m not trolling here, there are many individuals in the game who are talented and work incredibly hard, but the general parochial attitude means they get nowhere. The Aussies have a structured development path. Also,In the USA, I lived in a small town of 25,000 people just outside Memphis Tenn some years ago. The high school played (American) Football on Friday nights and 10,000 people came to watch. There was something for everyone to get involved with, players, band, cheerleaders, ground staff, admin, food vendors etc etc all being volunteers. For the best players, there was progression to College football at various levels, and for elite College players, the professional leagues. They had a structure. When I was in Texas just before the pandemic, there was the same set up. The funny thing is, I’m not particularly a US football fan, but I’m an admirer of their structure and organisation. Will RL ever get near this level of organisation and structure?
Not long as humans have a hole in their bottoms, I suspect.

I agree with that, but something has to change. It is hard to get kids to go to community clubs if they have no experience of the game, the RFL need to get off their backsides and get coaches, players etc. into the school environment.

What seems to be the issue is PE teachers either not wanting to put the extra effort in or not understanding/knowing the game so they favour sports they do know….football.

My sons school had a history of annual tours to Australia, his age group have 13 players on scholarship all at the school…the school has had a change of staff and now there is no rugby league at the school. This is a school that up to 5 years ago was producing top SL players and took great pride in that.