THEY make pies in Wigan but the town also produces world-class rugby league players and it has done for donkey's years.

England's diabolical displays at the World Cup have, however, left a nasty taste in a lot of mouths. The question is, are we really producing enough talent to compete at the highest level?

Crumbs of comfort can be found at the grassroots level in Wigan where the game continues to thrive.

Many schoolboys were let down badly by their sporting heroes at the World Cup, and these same lads hope to be the stars of tomorrow.

Wigan's most famous production line for rugby league talent is at St John Fisher High School where the sport is a religion.

Wigan skipper Sean O'Loughlin, who missed the World Cup due to injury, is a former pupil. And such legends as Shaun Edwards, Mike Gregory, Mick Cassidy and Ged Byrne all went to the school before joining the game's all-time greats.

If England are to succeed at international level, success will stem from what is coming through the ranks at schoolboy level in Wigan and beyond.

Andy Unsworth, who coaches at St John Fisher, has no doubt about the high-quality of junior players coming through.

Hungry

"The talent is there in plentiful supply. I see it in every age group. These lads are keen and hungry and they deserve their chance," he said.

"These lads who play rugby here want to progress, we help them enjoy the sport, it's a two-way thing."

And his sentiments are echoed by Dave Mallin, who has a 43-year association with Wigan schools RL.

Dave maintains today's kids are as good as ever but warned: "The lads have the talent but they are being burned out. They are having to play far too many games and this is taking its toll.

"My main concern is the way they are overplayed. Structures must be put in place to stop this burnout. The English schools RL have set out to reduce the programme."

Mallin does feel there is too much overseas talent in the professional game. "There will always be room in our game for the Trent Barretts but we do have too many second-rate overseas players and the home-grown talent must be given the chance ahead of them," he added.

John Hill, who also coaches schoolboy rugby league in Wigan, claims too many young players are having natural flair `coached out of them'.

Andy said: "I've seen lads kick a ball on the sixth tackle simply because it's something they've either been told or what they've seen teams do - this has even happened in overlap situations, we simply encourage our lads to keep the ball alive and play it as they see it."

Talent

Andy and Dave believe the future is bright providing junior talent is nurtured properly. They both predict a bright future for former pupil Sam Tomkins, now at Wigan.

"He has always stood out at town team level, you could see he had leadership qualities at an early age, he is a natural and this is something that has to be encouraged," Dave added.

Six Year 11 pupils have gone on to sign for Widnes and Wigan - the girls have also been bitten by the rugby league bug and have won trophies themselves.

"They've wanted to mirror the success of the boys and they have done very well," Andy said.

"I can take a look at a team and know the majority have the ability to make a living from this game, they simply need the chance because they have the desire and ability.

"We will continue to keep doing our bit but they certainly have all the necessary attributes needed to progress."

Tomorrow: Adrian Morley's exclusive column on why it all went wrong

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