THERE'S plenty of talking points in rugby league this week, that's for sure!

England head to Headingley this Saturday hoping to secure a 3-0 whitewash over Tonga, and not to mention the fall-out from the long awaited IMG ‘club grading’ report.

After opening wins at St Helens and Huddersfield, England, who have obviously secured the series win already, will be going for the throat of the Pacific island visitors looking for a clean sweep.

To be honest, it wouldn’t be a shock based on the two terrible Tongan performance so far.

They look a million miles from the team that last faced England in the 2017 Rugby League World Cup, and the 2019 side that were too good for both Great Britain and Australia.

Granted, they are missing some key personnel, including talisman Jason Tamalolo. However, there is still enough Super League and NRL experience to come up with better performances than they have.

All in all, like a lot of people, I have found it something of a rather underwhelming series. Despite winning two games and securing the series, England have not had to be at their best.

You certainly can’t fault the efforts shown, and their desire in defence, but have looked very clunky and at times void of ideas in attack. Granted, England were also lacking a number of first-choice players including Saints’ trio of Tommy Makinson, Alex Walmsley and Mark Percival.

However, anyone who pulls on an England jersey should be at a certain standard, a standard that would challenge Australia, the world's best.

In truth, I think it is a by-product of a dip in standards of the domestic game. Everyone knows I love RL, the game that has given me everything…but this series has again highlighted why we need to develop more with better players.

I’ve been lucky enough to play in test matches at Huddersfield on numerous occasions, in front of sell-out crowds, albeit against Australia….but 10,000 on Saturday and 12,000 the week before in a RL town like St Helens is a warning shot to us all who love the game.

Fingers crossed Saturday's final test at the home of Leeds Rhinos will see a much bigger turn out, and one player who can turn out an inspiring performance is the returning England skipper George Williams.

Suspended for the opening two tests, Williams has already been given the nod by coach Shaun Wane, who said the Warrington star will definitely start.

This means either Mikey Lewis, who was man of the match on debut in the opener, or Harry Smith, who has been solid over both games, will miss out.

I think it could be Lewis to sit it out, as he is a very similar mould to George...someone who likes to run and take on defences. Smith on the other hand, being less dynamic with the ball, uses his other strengths of directing play and a solid kicking game, which is vital in test matches.

The return of Williams will also see the captain armband passed back from Saints' very own Jack Welsby, who has led the Wall of White in the first two fixtures. There is no doubt, this is something that will come back to him in the future.

Welsby has hinted about having ‘fun’ this weekend, with the series already in the bag. With that, along with the skipper's return, let’s hope we see a lot more attacking flair, which is something we have had success with the few times we have moved the ball and moved the big Tongan pack about.

I can’t see anything past another home win, and I’ll go for the biggest margin yet... more than 18 points (7/2 at Betfred). Wire winger Matty Ashton will be looking to continue on from his two-try performance last weekend, and is certainly a good shout for the first try which is 9/1 at Betfred.

Speaking of fun, I don’t think there will be any less intensity between rival coaches Shaun Wane and former Saints and Tonga boss Kristian Woolf.

Wane, who was still fired up in his post-match interview, admitted a lot of the inspiration to get the win on Saturday came from disrespectful comments from the Tongan camp. Reportedly, complaining about the Saints pitch, ruck speeds and referees, and jibes about England match winner, Hull KR’s Mikey Lewis.

Neither Wane or Woolf are the type of competitor to back down, so Saturday, despite being a dead rubber, could see fireworks!

So, to the grading. Well it has certainly caused some reaction from some clubs. But, we partnered with IMG to improve the sport both on and off the pitch, so let’s get on with it.

I just hope their plan includes ways to not only improve social media views and website hits, but how we can generate more participation of both players and fans at all levels.

They have been brought onboard because of their expertise in this field, so need to lead clubs, NOT ask what they want, something we’ve been doing for far too long.