We aren't EVER going to be competitive on the international scene because the sport over here doesn't have a sufficiently high profile to attract the kids to play it in the first place.
In Australia it is a big sport in the areas it is played, meaning the game isn't dwarfed in terms of popularity or future prospects. For kids choosing which sport to play rugby league is a viable choice. Here it isn't. Until they change that nothing will ever get any better. In Australia they have a reasonable chance of finding the next Lockyer, Inglis and Slater. Over here those players, even if born in the heartlands, are highly unlikely to ever play the sport at any level.
That initial 'rubbish in-rubbish out' problem can never be solved through coaching or development schemes, no matter how wonderful they may be. So, us having absolutely embarassing structures, competitions and coaches isn't making that much of a difference. All this is then made worse by short sighted clubs such as Hull KR and Wigan who spend 6 days a week trying to find loopholes in the regulations to enable them to sign even more overseas players. Far too many of the key positions in SL are taken up by average NRL players.
Rugby League in the UK needs a new administration. They need to make the competitions exciting, they need to make it vibrant and get both the supporters in through the door and the press interested. If they had 10,000+ crowds at all SL games, with London included in that they could get the press on board. But instead the RFL just sit there and do the absolute minimum possible, the international game is a complete farce and there really is no future for the sport as it is now. Sooner or later Sky will realise this and slash the price they are willing to pay for it, which is already borderline charitable as no other broadcaster would even consider bidding.