HOWZAT

Loyal fans short-changed by lack of tries

Rugby is suffering from mistakes at the top: the failures of the IRB have turned the sport into a boring festival of kicking

Legends of the fall are holding back progress

Martin Johnson and Jonny Wilkinson have now become the major obstacles blocking English progress, argues Stuart Barnes

England team play like scared children

The weight of planning, with a lack of leadership on the pitch, is burdening a side for whom excitement is anathema

Lievremont hoping to find a turning point

The French coach believes his new framework will pay dividends against the world champions in run-up to 2011 World Cup

Australians are playing the long game

Tourists have already put the 2011 World Cup uppermost in their plans and their 2009 team is merely a work in progress

Gatland attack on Premiership hits the mark

Premier Rugby cannot hide behind crowd numbers to justify a game where there is a lack of ambition in attack and a lack of vision overall

Reborn Wilkinson ready to rule

The subtle changes the fly half has made to his game at Toulon have made him a shoo-in for England, says Stuart Barnes

Back-to-basics approach puts Stade in the pink

Bath must beware their revitalised and confident French opponents in today’s Heineken Cup glamour tie

England must trust their centres of excellence

If Martin Johnson is brave he will find room for Shane Geraghty’s creativity in the English midfield, says Stuart Barnes

Young guns for the Heineken Cup

Stuart Barnes identifies the best of the young talent that will be contesting the Heineken Cup this season

Cup campaigners banish national stereotypes

The traditional powerhouses of Europe will face a stern challenge from a host of unpredictable upstarts, says Stuart Barnes

Henson too precious a talent to be discarded

If he can shrug off his injuries, there is nothing to stop the Ospreys player returning to the top of the game

Saint Geraghty central to unlocking Wallabies

England’s lack of options at inside centre leaves the coach with a problem as the autumn internationals loom large

Why rugby needs to kick this habit

Negative thinking by coaches must be reversed if the game is to provide the spectacular fare that its followers desire

Gloucester need to break free of shackles

Bryan Redpath, the head coach who replaced Dean Ryan at Kingsholm, must be flexible if his side are to gain ground

Richards’ punishment could end cheat culture

Severe as the penalty paid by the Harlequins strategist was it could usher in an era where sports authorities have teeth

Lions win throwback to glorious times of old

Stuart Barnes says Ian McGeechan has restored with this tour that which made the Lions popular all over the world

Lions dream is far from over

The last 20 minutes proved the tourists have the mental courage, the skill and the tempo to level the series in Pretoria

Lion king? Loin king, more like

We may revere courage of these beasts but they are more interested in sex, says Simon Barnes, who lived with a pride in Zambia