That old proverb about reaping what you sow applies to rugby union more than most sports. Neglect your grass roots or your future crops and, sooner or later, it will catch up with you. Even in England, with its bigger playing numbers and resources, there can be no sidestepping the consequences of a fractured player development pathway.
One men’s Six Nations grand slam since 2003 remains one of the more sobering Twickenham statistics – and an obvious goal for those charged with producing England’s next batch of white-shirted stars. Yes, there have been two World Cup final appearances over those two decades but, lately, England has developed significantly fewer World XV candidates than, for example, South Africa, France, New Zealand or Ireland.
