No I've not been working my way through the Karma Sutra, but I have been wondering about reserves rugby. Does our system treat players in certain positions unfairly because they mature later, or do we benefit from youngsters being let go to find their own level rather than all being kept in at wealthier clubs.

Yes you are right a lot of players mature later and a lot are let go when thy should be given a chance but sadly money talks and the clubs do not have enough

Marshall at Wigan was doing brilliantly earlier in the season despite being shown the door the previous season and going off to be an accountant.

Loose forward is probably the one that takes the most time and very few can master it imo. So younger players will be over looked to soon I think for this role.

Same with most team sports these days, what matters most is winning!

Looking at the football model - either winning teams continue with the players that got them there, and maybe give one or two youngsters a chance, and then spend money on big name players each season in order to try to improve on a winning model. That means letting young players go out on loan or to lower level teams to get "experience" - but even the lower level teams now, there is so much at stake to win trophies or get promoted that even they aren't giving many young players a go anymore.

Same with losing teams, there is such a massive incentive to ensure teams don't get relegated, it's easier for them to throw money at the problem and buy their way out of trouble, rather than save money and have a team of 6 or 7 young players, finding their feet for 6 months - by the time they come good, it could already be too late.

Of for the days you progressed from wing, to centre, to stand off, to loose forward.

Yes I remember Harvey Howard playing on the wing for Leeds then a couple of years later he was a Prop.

Does the loose forward even exist anymore? Most teams just stick an extra prop there. In attack the hooker packs down at loose, then in defence the fullback packs down there.

Adam Milner seems to have migrated from hooker to loose forward, after the arrival of McShane. Looks right at home.

Prop? Despite Wigan's excellent academy system, we have failed to produce a top prop in at least the 16 years I have been watching. I think the reason is that they are let go before they have time to develop.

Sadly, that's very definitely the case in jr rugby, which could be where the problem starts; junior teams are often coached by people who are driven to win every week, and in my experience there is often pressure even from parents to field the best players - all of which makes the development of young players who may not have the immediately obvious attributes (i.e - they're big) very difficult. Can't help wondering how many later developing young players are turned off the sport as a jr, because they don't get game time and as a result, never find out if they're actually any good.

Tony Clubb played Centre for England when he was with London!