As a unit, it isn't (a unit).
How on earth can Josh (or Hougaard for that matter) score when he has a 13 inside him who drops the ball so much, and when he does get the ball, rarely ships it out?
Jimmy, aside from his kicking, is also probably not at that level now.
Dan and Charlie do not seem to work at all well together. Charlie actually played quite well last night, but was under pressure from the Sale scrum back 3 at every scrum and lineout.
No scrum half looks good when the pack in front of him is going backwards. Sale constantly pushed our scrum back, and counter rucked all the time.
Crossdale has the makings of a good, maybe exceptional, full back.
Right now, and more importantly, next season? Charlie and Ali can and probably will get better.
I don't see Jacob getting better though.
Last night our scrum was simply outperformed. Our props was the problem. Loosing Stooke was much bigger than you imagine. It lost us the disruption and counter rucking he brings, and lost us the stability in rucks where we had the ball, and lost us the forward momentum in mauls where we had the ball. We will be without him for a long while, and we have lost Fifita. Gaskell is a different type of lock.
No team will win games without the pack functioning, regardless of who the backs are.
So, no, I don't see the problem as the backs. The problem, which may be resolved with new blood next year, is the front 5.
We don't have to worry about Jimmy and Malakai, they are leaving. I do worry about Mills taking up a slot that a fit player could fill. He is a good player who doesn't play. He was the same at Worcester, and I expressed that concern when the rumours started that he was coming.
The fact is, English Rubgy is not producing the quality in the backs that would support 13 Premiership teams, and the salary cap means we can no longer afford to import quality from the Southern hemisphere.
Much as we may not like it, all teams will suffer with back lines that deteriorate as the years roll by without sufficient quality of youth coming in.