All Blacks great Sam Whitelock signs off in style for Barbarians against Fiji

All Blacks legend Sam Whitelock signed off from rugby in style on Saturday as he led the Barbarians to a 45-32 victory over an impressive Fiji at Twickenham Stadium.

Try doubles from Lachlan Boshier, Jonny May and Leicester Fainga’anuku were added to by a crossing from Zach Mercer as an end-to-end game was won by the Barbarians.

Indeed, an under-strength Fiji side pushed the famous invitational outfit all the way in London as a Epeli Momo hat-trick and Kemu Valentini’s try saw them press for the win.

However, it was to be the Barbarians’ and Whitelock’s day in the sunshine as the All Blacks stalwart received a rousing round of applause when he was replaced late on.

The 35-year-old put in an excellent shift and showed little signs of slowing down, which has led to many fans discussing whether he could continue playing at the highest level.

His partnership at lock with England international David Ribbans caught the eye at Twickenham but it was Boshier, May and Fainga’anuku who crossed for the Baa-baas.

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The end of a LEGENDARY career 👏 👏

Twickenham rises to its feet for the @AllBlacks’ Sam Whitelock #Baabaas #KillikCup pic.twitter.com/wxgYEUhIze

— Barbarian FC (@Barbarian_FC) June 22, 2024

The trio were always looking for work as the wings appeared to relish their time in the jersey while flanker Boshier once again showed just what an under-rated player he is.

Crusaders’ Chay Fihaki also starred at full-back while Gael Fickou and Virimi Vakatawa ― former France teammates ― showed flashes of quality as they reconnected at centre.

However, perhaps the standout player at Twickenham was Momo, who claimed a wonderful hat-trick as a young and inexperienced Fiji proved that the future is bright.

Indeed, Fiji head coach Mick Byrne and his players will take a great deal from this narrow loss ahead of their upcoming Tests against Georgia and New Zealand.

But amidst all those takeaways from an entertaining game will be a lasting one of Whitelock’s departure as a true, evergreen, rugby union great hangs up his boots.

The teams

Barbarians:  15 Chay Fihaki, 14 Leicester Fainga’anuku, 13 Virimi Vakatawa, 12 Gael Fickou, 11 Jonny May, 10 Fergus Burke, 9 Danny Care, 8 Zach Mercer, 7 Lachlan Boshier, 6 Jack Cornelsen, 5 Sam Whitelock (c), 4 David Ribbans, 3 Kyle Sinckler, 2 Harry Thacker, 1 Scott Sio
Replacements:  16 Shota Horie, 17 Craig Millar, 18 Kieran Brookes, 19 Fabian Holland, 20 Liam Mitchell, 21 Ben Youngs, 22 Jonathan Joseph, 23 Cameron Woki

Fiji:  15 Vilimoni Botitu, 14 Epeli Momo, 13 Epeli Waqaicece, 12 Apisalome Vota, 11 Taniela Rakuro, 10 Caleb Muntz, 9 Peni Matawalu, 8 Elia Canakaivata, 7 Motikiai Murray, 6 Ratu Derenalagi, 5 Ratu Rotuisolia, 4 Mesake Vocevoce, 3 Samuela Tawake, 2 Zuriel Togiatama, 1 Livai Natave
Replacements:  16 Mesulame Dolokoto, 17 Emosi Tuqiri, 18 Meli Tuni, 19 Isoa Nasilasila, 20 Kitione Salawa, 21 Moses Sorovi, 22 Kemueli Valetini, 23 Isaiah Armstrong-Ravula

Referee:  Gianluca Gnecchi (Italy)
Assistant Referees:  Ben Whitehouse (Wales), Federico Vedovelli (Italy)
TMO:  Stuart Terheege (England)

Barbarians: 14-man invitational side demolish disappointing England

The Barbarians picked up an impressive 52-21 victory over England in their clash at Twickenham, despite having 14 men for a large chunk of the game after Will Skelton was red carded.

A penalty try was followed up by crossings from Charles Ollivon, Damian Penaud (2), Baptiste Couilloud, Louis Carbonel, Max Spring and Antoine Hastoy, while Hastoy added two conversions and former England second-row George Kruis knocked over three.

For England this loss will hurt as many players involved did little to improve their chances of making it into Eddie Jones’ squad for the tour to Australia.

The hosts’ only tries came from Joe Cokanasiga, Jonny May and Marcus Smith, with Smith having an off-day from the tee as he landed just two penalties.

Jones had picked the usual mix of youth and experience for the annual uncapped international, but even allowing for the experimental line-up it was a disappointing outing ahead of next month’s three-Test series against Australia.

As a mark of respect for former Wales international Phil Bennett, who died last Sunday, the Barbarians players formed the number 10 before a minute’s applause was heard for a player who represented the invitational club 20 times.

England wings Cokanasiga and May were looking to make big impressions to secure their places to Australia following injury-enforced absences and they experienced mixed fortunes.

Cokanasiga was prominent amid a promising start by the hosts and he brought Twickenham to its feet with a jet-fuelled break out of the 22 only for the defensive cover to collar the supporting Harry Randall.

Smith drew first blood with a penalty but the Barbarians surged ahead through an 18th-minute penalty try awarded against May for a deliberate knock-on as they sought to exploit an overlap on the right.

England, wearing their red kit, launched a purposeful attack but a loose pass by Randall was picked off by Ollivon who was able to complete the foot race to the whitewash.

At 14-3 down inside the first half-hour, it was looking bleak for Jones’ men with a missed penalty by Smith failing to lift spirits and soon after tighthead prop Will Collier was brought off as a tactical replacement.

The game appeared to turn on its head during a three-minute spell during which Skelton was sent off, Smith kicked a penalty and Cokanasiga scored a try created by Smith and Tommy Freeman, but another twist quickly followed.

Looking to break out of the 22, Mark Atkinson’s pass intended for Cokanasiga instead fell to Penaud and the French wing cantered in for a simple finish.

The Barbarians continued to shrug off the absence of Skelton when a defensive lapse allowed Yoan Tanga to surge through the middle and Couilloud arrived to complete the move.

England sprung into life, with Danny Care’s arrival making a difference as Smith began to weave his magic to create a try scored by May, but Penaud added a second with an acrobatic finish that was examined in great detail by the TMO.

Big carries by Tom Curry and May created the space for Smith to dart over but despite showing encouraging flashes in attack, England just could not pull clear.

Nolann Le Garrec chipped over the defence for Carbonel to touch down but there was better to come from the Barbarians as Spring touched down after a sweeping move before Hastoy completed the rout.

Barbarians edge 73-point thriller

A late drop-goal from Elton Jantjies saw the Barbarians complete an epic 38-35 come-from-behind victory over Argentina in their Killik Cup game.

Despite trailing 28-7 at one point in the first-half, the Baa-baas came out on top at Twickenham thanks to Jantjies' effort from 35 metres.

The Barbarians' try scorers were Juan Manuel Leguizamon, Siya Kolisi, Damian de Allende and Lood de Jager, with a penalty try also awarded by referee John Lacey to go with extra points from Handre Pollard and Jantjies.

In reply for Argentina, Matias Orlando, Ramiro Moyano, Pablo Matera, Sebastian Cancelliere and Julian Montoya crossed the whitewash, with Joaquin Diaz Bonilla sending over 10 points with his boot from the tee.

It was a thoroughly entertaining first-half at Twickenham as 42 points were scored, with Argentina going into the dressing rooms 28-14 up.

The Barbarians in fact took the lead inside two minutes with Kolisi and Schalk Brits combining well before Leguizamon barged over for 7-0.

The early score woke up the Pumas though and two minutes after Cancelliere went close on both wings, Orlando dived over on the right after Baa-baas fly-half Pollard took the strange option of a chip close to his own line.  Bonilla converted that try to level things up in the match.

Bonilla then turned provider when his grubber kick through was easily gathered by Moyano to make it 14-7 and when Moyano offloaded to Orlando, who in turn found Matera in support for their third, the Argentines were cruising at 21-7 ahead as the Barbarians were all at sea.

Five minutes later Argentina moved even further clear with that man Moyano again involved, kicking across to Cancelliere for the try.  But fortunately for the Baa-baas they would cancel that out before the interval as they were awarded a penalty try for a maul being collapsed.

The first score of the second 40 was always going to be crucial and the Barbarians came out hungry but were halted by spirited defence.  Argentina could not stop the driving maul however as Kolisi would cross on 48 minutes for a converted try that brought the scores to 28-21.

The response was positive from Argentina and their fifth try wasn't long in coming, Montoya barging over from the back of a maul for 35-21.

De Allende was next to cross for the Baa-baas as he gobbled up Jantjies' grubber through to bring the match back to a seven-point contest.

The scoring then dried up before man-of-the-match De Jager galloped over on 75 minutes.  And then it was down to Jantjies as after adding the extras, he sat back in the pocket with two minutes to play to land the match-winning drop-goal, bringing an end to a thrilling clash.

The scorers:

For Barbarians:
Tries:  Leguizamon, Penalty try, Kolisi, De Allende, De Jager
Cons:  Pollard 2, Jantjies 2
Drop-goal:  Jantjies

For Argentina:
Tries:  Orlando, Moyano, Matera, Cancelliere, Montoya
Cons:  Bonilla 5

Barbarians:  15 Jack Debreczeni, 14 Tommaso Benvenuti, 13 Tom English, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Aphiwe Dyantyi, 10 Handre Pollard, 9 Leon Fukofuka, 8 Juan Manuel Leguizamon, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6 Siya Kolisi, 5 Lood de Jager, 4 Luke Jones, 3 Trevor Nyakane, 2 Schalk Brits, 1 Wyatt Crockett (c)
Replacements:  16 Malcolm Marx, 17 Steven Kitshoff, 18 Anton Peikrishvili, 19 Sikhumbuzo Notshe, 20 Jordan Taufua, 21 Frank Lomani, 22 Jesse Kriel, 23 Elton Jantjies

Argentina:  15 Juan Cruz Mallia, 14 Sebastian Cancelliere, 13 Matias Orlando, 12 Bautista Ezcurra, 11 Ramiro Moyano, 10 Joaquin Diaz Bonilla, 9 Martin Landajo, 8 Rodrigo Bruni, 7 Tomas Lezana, 6 Pablo Matera (c), 5 Matias Alemanno, 4 Guido Petti, 3 Santiago Medrano, 2 Julian Montoya, 1 Juan Pablo Zeiss
Replacements:  16 Agustin Creevy, 17 Mayco Vivas, 18 Lucio Sordoni, 19 Tomas Lavanini, 20 Santiago Grondona, 21 Tomas Cubelli, 22 Jeronimo de la Fuente, 23 Santiago Carreras

Referee:  John Lacey (Ireland)
Assistant referees:  Andrew Brace (Ireland), Ben Whitehouse (Wales)
TMO:  Andrew McMenemy (Scotland)

Chris Ashton hat-trick sinks England

The Barbarians won a thriller against England at Twickenham on Sunday, running in nine tries in a 63-45 victory to lift the Quilter Cup.

Tries from Chris Ashton (3), Victor Vito (2), Finn Russell, Semi Radrada, Sitaleki Timani and Greig Laidlaw entertained the local support.

In reply the English tries were scored by Elliot Daly, Piers Francis (2), Zach Mercer, Joe Launchbury and Jonny May as they came up short.

Eddie Jones will know there is work to be done ahead of their three-Test series against South Africa, with their defence appearing flaky.

Nine tries and 63 points were scored in an end-to-end opening half, with both sides playing a high tempo game that left holes in defence.

The Barbarians raced into a 21-0 lead on 12 minutes as first Radradra’s fine line bust through Henry Trinder and Chris Robshaw led to him finding Josua Tuisova on his right.  He then kindly popped to Ashton on the try-line for an ideal start for the Baa-baas and the full-back.

Ashton was over again four minutes later as he gathered his own chip over the top before grounding.  That again came from a Tuisova carry.

The Baa-baas were motoring and from a set play five metres out another chip kick, this time from Russell, found Vito who extended the gap.

England needed something and it promptly came on 18 minutes as Daly, starting in the full-back position, fought his way over the whitewash before three minutes later inside centre Francis also crossed, with Ford converting both tries to make it 21-14 as the hosts were building.

Ashton though had other ideas and claimed his hat-trick in simple fashion for a 28-14 lead before yet more tries would follow at Twickenham.

The next crossing saw Mercer go over after Daly’s line break and when Ford then set up Francis for his brace, suddenly it was a tied game.

However the Barbarians would have the final say of the half as Ashton then turned provider for Russell who showed pace from 30 metres out.

They also had the first score of the second-half when Radrada slipped Robshaw’s attempted hit before rounding wing May to make it 42-28.

With England 14 points down it was an interesting call to kick a penalty goal on 49 minutes, which also didn’t go down well with the home fans.

But there was still lots time on the clock and when Launchbury grounded against the base of the post, the English were only four points down.

Again though the Barbarians were not to be outdone and good handling down the right wing led to Loni Uhila setting up Timani for the try.

With time wearing on the next score was going to be crucial and it went the way of the invitational side as Radrada’s superb offload found Tuisova, who again handed the ball over to a team-mate when over the whitewash, with Scotland scrum-half Laidlaw dotting down for 56-38.

England weren’t finished though as Danny Cipriani’s well judged grubber through was collected by May, who though he had the final say at Twickenham until Tuisova set up Vito for his brace as the Barbarians finished with a final flourish, running out impressive 63-45 winners.

The scorers:

For England:
Tries:  Daly, Francis 2, Mercer, Launchbury, May
Cons:  Ford 6
Pen:  Ford

For Barbarians:
Tries:  Ashton 3, Vito 2, Russell, Radrada, Timani, Laidlaw
Cons:  Russell 7, Laidlaw, Lobbe

England:  15 Elliot Daly, 14 Jonny May, 13 Henry Trinder, 12 Piers Francis, 11 Mike Brown, 10 George Ford (cc), 9 Ben Youngs, 8 Zach Mercer, 7 Tom Curry, 6 Chris Robshaw (cc), 5 Joe Launchbury, 4 Elliott Stooke, 3 Kyle Sinckler, 2 Jack Singleton, 1 Joe Marler
Replacements:  16 George McGuigan, 17 Ellis Genge, 18 Nick Schonert, 19 Josh Beaumont, 20 Mark Wilson, 21 Dan Robson, 22 Danny Cipriani, 23 Denny Solomona

Barbarians:  15 Chris Ashton, 14 Josua Tuisova, 13 Semi Radradra, 12 Josh Matavesi, 11 Niyi Adeolokun, 10 Finn Russell, 9 Rhodri Williams, 8 Victor Vito, 7 Justin Tipuric, 6 Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe (c), 5 Sitaleki Timani, 4 Ultan Dillane, 3 John Afoa, 2 Benjamin Kayser, 1 Denis Buckley
Replacements:  16 Tatafu Polota-Nau, 17 Loni Uhila, 18 Ramiro Herrera, 19 Joe Tekori, 20 Nili Latu, 21 Greig Laidlaw, 22 Luke McAlister, 23 Malakai Fekitoa

Referee:  Andy Brace (Ireland)
Assistant referees:  Marius Mitrea (Italy), Ben Whitehouse (Wales)
Television match offcial:  Peter Fitzgibbon (Ireland)

All Blacks fight back to sink Barbarians

The All Blacks claimed a 31-22 come-from-behind win over a gutsy Barbarians outfit in a thrilling match at Twickenham on Saturday.

Tries from TJ Perenara, Vaea Fifita, Ngani Laumape, Sam Cane and Nathan Harris proved too much for the Barbarians who scored through Richie Mo'unga, Sam Carter and a George Bridge brace.

The Barbarians dominated the first-half much to everyone's surprise, but the All Blacks had a ruthless ten-minute second-half patch to storm back.

The Barbarians came flying out of the blocks and stunned the world champions with the game's first try after an eight minute spell in which they were camped in All Blacks' territory.  It was Mo'unga who exploited the overlap on the right wing to dot down after Andy Ellis's good blindside pass from the ruck.

The Baa-baas continued to tear up the script when Steven Luatua made a thrilling intercept and just when it looked as if he was running out of steam, the dynamic flanker did well to offload to Bridge who dotted down for a 10-0 lead.

The All Blacks responded when TJ Perenara's sniping blindside break off the back of an attacking scrum saw the nippy scrum-half feed Waisake Naholo on the overlap, who did exceptionally well to stay in touch and get the pass away back to Perenara who finished off a wonderful team move.

However, the Barbarians were not to be outshone and scored their third try when Sam Carter burst over after a series of powerful carries from the Baa-baas' forwards to give the rogue outfit a shock 17-5 lead.

But Naholo once again came to the fore, turning creator for the second time when once again he produced a wonderful offload with his body falling to the floor for Fifita to dot down after the All Blacks had taken the ball through numerous phases spanning the length of the field.  That would prove to be the last action of an exciting first half which saw the Baa-baas take a shock 17-10 lead in to the interval.

The All Blacks levelled matters at 17-17 after 53 minutes when Laumape took a wonderful crash ball from Tawera Kerr-Barlow to smash through Mo'unga and go over.

Soon after, the world champions took the lead for the first time in the game.  It was Naholo who made the initial break and put the Baa-baas' defence on the back foot.  The ball was recycled and the All Blacks forwards took the ball through close quarters well before Cane burst over from close-range.

The All Blacks pulled away further as they got the luck of the bounce when Kerr-Barlow's box-kick landed perfectly for Harris who gleefully gobbled up the opportunity.  Barrett added the extras to give the All Blacks a 31-17 lead with 60 minutes gone.

There was still time for the Barbarians to score a consolation try when Bridge pounced on a Julian Savea grubber kick to grab his brace, much to the delight of their players and coaching staff as they signed off with a try.

The scorers:

For Barbarians:
Tries:  Mo'unga, Bridge 2, Carter
Con:  Mo'unga

For New Zealand:
Tries:  Perenara, Fifita, Laumape, Cane, Harris
Cons:  B Barrett 3

The teams:

Barbarians:  15 George Bridge, 14 Julian Savea, 13 Richard Buckman, 12 Harold Vorster, 11 Vince Aso, 10 Richie Mo’unga, 9 Andy Ellis (c), 8 Luke Whitelock, 7 Kwagga Smith, 6 Steven Luatua, 5 Dominic Bird, 4 Sam Carter, 3 Atu Moli, 2 Adriaan Strauss, 1 Jacques van Rooyen
Replacements:  16 Akker van der Merwe, 17 Ben Franks, 18 Ruan Smith, 19 Willie Britz, 20 Ruan Ackermann, 21 Mitchell Drummond, 22 Robert du Preez, 23 Dillon Hunt

New Zealand:  15 David Havili, 14 Waisake Naholo, 13 Anton Lienert-Brown, 12 Ngani Laumape, 11 Seta Tamanivalu, 10 Beauden Barrett (c), 9 TJ Perenara, 8 Jerome Kaino, 7 Ardie Savea, 6 Vaea Fifita, 5 Scott Barrett, 4 Luke Romano, 3 Nepo Laulala, 2 Nathan Harris, 1 Kane Hames
Replacements:  16 Asafo Aumua, 17 Tim Perry, 18 Jeffery Toomaga-Allen, 19 Patrick Tuipulotu, 20 Sam Cane, 21 Tawera Kerr-Barlow, 22 Lima Sopoaga, 23 Matt Duffie

Referee:  Nigel Owens (Wales)
Assistant referees:  Nic Berry (Australia), Ben Whitehouse (Wales)
TMO:  Rowan Kitt (England)

Moore try helps Wallabies to victory

A 72nd minute try from replacement hooker Stephen Moore helped Australia to a 31-28 win over the Barbarians at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

With Taqele Naiyaravoro and Quade Cooper in the sin-bin, the Barbarians couldn't hold Australia out as they recovered to seal the victory.

There is concern for head coach Michael Cheika though as Lukhan Tui (hamstring) and Jack Dempsey (knee) both left the field and are now in doubt ahead of the Wallabies' tour to Japan and Europe.  Cheika will hope they can recover in time as both have been in impressive form.

The Barbarians led 21-12 at half-time thanks to tries from Andrew Ready, Naiyaravoro and Tom Banks, with Duncan Paia'aua and Henry Speight hitting back for the Wallabies, who knew they were in a contest against the invitational side that included several international players.

Australia moved 24-21 in front when tries from flank Dempsey and fly-half Paia'aua in the 53rd and 61st minute got them on the front foot.

But Naiyaravoro nudged the Barbarians back in front before those yellow cards led to Moore driving over from a maul to secure the victory.

The scorers:

For Australia:
Tries:  Paia'aua 2, Speight, Dempsey, Moore
Cons:  Paia'aua 3

For Barbarians:
Tries:  Ready, Naiyaravoro 2, Banks
Cons:  Cooper 4
Yellow Cards:  Naiyaravoro, Cooper

Australia:  15 Karmichael Hunt, 14 Henry Speight, 13 Samu Kerevi, 12 Billy Meakes, 11 Israel Folau, 10 Duncan Paia'aua, 9 Nick Phipps (c), 8 Lopeti Timani, 7 Jack Dempsey, 6 Ned Hanigan, 5 Lukhan Tui, 4 Rory Arnold, 3 Allan Alaalatoa, 2 Jordan Uelese, 1 Tom Robertson
Replacements:  16 Stephen Moore, 17 Tetera Faulkner, 18 Jermaine Ainsley, 19 Kane Douglas, 20 Ben McCalman, 21 Joe Powell, 22 Curtis Rona, 23 Izaia Perese

Barbarians:  15 Tim Nanai-Williams, 14 Taqele Naiyaravoro, 13 Tom Banks, 12 George Moala, 11 Eto Nabuli, 10 Quade Cooper (c), 9 Augustine Pulu, 8 Wycliff Palu, 7 Matt Hodgson, 6 Isi Naisarani, 5 Sam Carter, 4 Luke Jones, 3 Taniela Tupou, 2 Andrew Ready, 1 Pekahou Cowan
Replacements:  16 Anaru Rangi, 17 Ben Alexander, 18 Salesi Manu, 19 Matt Philip, 20 Kane Koteka, 21 Theo Strang, 22 Sam Greene, 23 Andrew Kellaway

Referee:  Brendon Pickerill (New Zealand)
Assistant referees:  Jamie Nutbrown (New Zealand), James Leckie (Australia)
TMO:  Aaron Paterson (New Zealand)

Barbarians floor Fiji

The Barbarians scored four unanswered tries in the first half for a comfortable 40-7 victory over Fiji in Belfast on Friday night.

This game was won in the first half in an entertaining game despite being played in heavy rain.

The BaaBaas were impressive, especially in the first 40 where they managed to give the ball some air as if it were a cool, dry evening.  Robert du Preez had a blinder at fly-half, slotting all five his conversions while Akker van der Merwe celebrated a brace in the first-half not normally associated with hookers.

It was Van der Merwe who opened the scoring from a driving maul after just three minutes.  Matt Faddes got on the scoresheet less than five minutes later after a charge down and quick hands saw the wing go over to double the score.

Van der Merwe added his second in the 18th minute after taking a pass from Andy Ellis from close range to extend the lead to 21-0.  Fiji looked disjointed and devoid of ideas, seldomly managing to bother the Barbarians defence.

Ellis himself added the fourth try, diving over after spotting a gap to give the BaaBaas a commanding lead going into the break.

After playing the ball out wide inside the Barabarians 22 Waisea Nayacalevu managed to open Fiji's account, the unlikely frame of Nemani Nadolo slotting the touchline conversion to reduce the deficit to 21.

Luke Morahan all but sealed the result five minutes from time but the BaaBaas weren't finished as Richard Mo’unga squeezed in another five-pointer to finish the game with some excitement.

The scorers:

For Barbarians:
Tries:  Van der Merwe 2, Faddes, Ellis, Mo’unga, Morahan
Cons:  Du Preez 5

For Fiji:
Try:  Nayacalevu
Con:  Nadolo

Barbarians:  15 Melani Nanai (Blues), 14 Matt Faddes (Highlanders), 13 Tommy Bowe (Ulster & Ireland), 12 Richard Buckman (Highlanders/Panasonic), 11 Taqele Naiyaravoro (Waratahs/Panasonic & Australia), 10 Robert du Preez (Stormers), 9 Andy Ellis (Crusaders/Kobelco & New Zealand, captain), 8 Luke Whitelock (Highlanders & New Zealand), 7 Jordan Taufua (Crusaders), 6 Brad Shields (Hurricanes), 5 Sam Carter (Brumbies & Australia), 4 Michael Fatialofa (Hurricanes), 3 Ben Franks (London Irish & New Zealand), 2 Akker van der Merwe (Lions), 1 Reggie Goodes (Hurricanes)
Replacements:  16 Andrew Ready (Reds), 17 Toby Smith (Rebels & Australia), 18 Paddy Ryan (Waratahs & Australia), 19 Martin Muller (Lions), 20 Ruan Ackermann (Lions), 21 Ruan Pienaar (Ulster & South Africa), 22 Richard Mo’unga (Crusaders), 23 Luke Morahan (Force & Australia)

Fiji:  15 Benito Masilevu, 14 Waisea Nayacalevu, 13 Asaeli Tikorotuma, 12 Albert Vulivuli, 11 Nemani Nadolo, 10 Ben Volavola, 9 Serupepeli Vularika, 8 Akapusi Qera, 7 Mosese Voka, 6 Naulia Dawai, 5 Dominiko Waqaniburoto, 4 Api Ratuniyarawa, 3 Manasa Saulo, 2 Jale Sassen, 1 Campese Ma’afu
Replacements:  16 Joeli Veitayaki, 17 Sunia Koto, 18 Leroy Atalifo, 19 Nemia Soqeta, 20 Eremasi Radrodro, 21 Nemia Kenatale, 22 Metuisela Talebula, 23 Vatemo Ravouvou

Referee:  Nick Briant (New Zealand)
Assistant Referees:  George Clancy (Ireland), David Wilkinson (Ireland)
TMO:  Neil Paterson (Scotland)

Barbarians crush Czech Republic

The Barbarians ran in 11 tries for a 71-0 victory as they entertained fans in Prague in the biggest fixture in the Czech Republic's rugby history.

The famous invitation club came to celebrate the host union's 90th anniversary at the Marketa Stadium, the first game televised by state TV in the country.

Broadcast highlights included elusive running that brought two tries apiece for the Budvar man of the match Melani Nanai (Blues), centre Matt Faddes (Highlanders), fly-half Richard Mo'unga (Crusaders) and Kwagga Smith (Lions).

The other scores came from Toby Smith, Sam Carter and Schalk van der Merwe.  Robert du Preez (Stormers) added six conversions and Mo'unga two.

The scorers:

For Barbarians:
Tries:  K Smith 2, Faddes 2, Mo'unga 2, Nanai 2, T Smith, Van der Merwe, Carter
Cons:  Du Preez 6, Mo'unga 2

Czech Republic:  15 Michal Schlanger, 14 Jakub Zalud, 13 Jan Rohlik, 12 Jiri Pantucek, 11 Karen Berounsky, 10 Vaclav Jursik, 9 Marek Simak, 8 Lukas Rapant, 7 Ondrej Kutil, 6 Martin Havlicek, 5 Miroslav Nemecek, 4 Robert Voves, 3 Vojtech Hruska, 2 Vojtech Mara, 1 Vojtech Havel
Replacements:  16 Hubert Drímal, 17 Emilio Calderoni, 18 Jan Olbrich, 19 Martin Charvát, 20 Petr Cí%u017Eek, 21 Martin Kovár, 22 Vachtang Pailodze, 23 Pavel Elis

Barbarians:  15 Clayton Blommetjies (Cheetahs), 14 Luke Morahan (Force & Australia), 13 Matt Faddes (Highlanders), 12 Robert du Preez (Stormers), 11 Melani Nanai (Blues), 10 Richard Mo'unga (Crusaders), 9 Nic Stirzaker (Rebels), 8 Ruan Ackermann (Lions), 7 Kwagga Smith (Lions), 6 Sam Carter (Brumbies & Australia), 5 Martin Muller (Lions), 4 Dan Tuohy (Ulster & Ireland, captain), 3 Ben Franks (London Irish & New Zealand) 63), 2 Toby Smith (Rebels & Australia, Andrew Ready (Reds), 1 Schalk van der Merwe (Montpellier)
Replacements:  Akker van der Merwe (Lions), Reggie Goodes (Hurricanes), Ben Franks (London Irish & New Zealand), Michael Fatialofa (Hurricanes), Brad Shields (Hurricanes), Andy Ellis (Crusaders/Kobelco & New Zealand), Jordan Taufua (Crusaders), Richard Buckman (Highlanders & Panasonic)

Wallabies pip Barbarians in classic

Michael Cheika's reign as Australia coach got off to a winning start as the Wallabies edged to a 40-36 win over the Barbarians.

It was a thrilling encounter with both teams prepared to throw the ball around and the backlines looking dangerous throughout.

In Cheika's first game in charge he'd chosen to rest a number of players, while handing Reds half-backs Will Genia and Quade Cooper recalls at Twickenham.

And after the Barbarians threatened to cut them open for much of the first half, the Wallabies finally got the upper hand and eventually took control, holding on despite a late Baabaas comeback.

It was certainly a spectacle though, and the Barbarians were largely responsible for that, staying true to the famous black and white jersey's traditions.

They showed their intentions from the off, with an American football-style throw-in at the first lineout from Steven Luatua.

From their first penalty in kickable territory they set up a rolling maul and thought they had scored, but Jaco Peyper called it back for an infringement in the build-up.  Still, Australia had already been penalised and soon after the Baabaas had their first try, John Kirwan's team had their first try.

Using all the tricks in the book, it was Colin Slade's delightful pass out of the tackle that set Nick Cummins on his way.  The former Wallaby winger crashed into Quade Cooper but when the ball came back right, the Barbarians had an overlap and Frank Halai was able to step in and cross.

It took until just before the half-hour for Australia to hit back, but they were on the mark when Sam Carter crashed over but after Cooper converted, the Barbarians hit straight back.

Adam Thomson, part of a hugely impressive back row, finished off a move which started through the excellent Luatua, and again featured Halai in the build-up.  Slade's conversion made it 12-7 to the Baabaas but Australia were back in front before half-time.

It came thanks to some great work from Tevita Kuridrani, who caused the Barbarians trouble all game, with Benn Robinson eventually the man to go over.

Having helped his time to a 14-12 half-time lead, Kuridrani got on the scoresheet himself early in the second half, crashing through for a great individual try.

At 21-12, the Barbarians could have just collapsed, but they came back once more thanks to Francis Saili, who had enjoyed a fantastic day.  Slade converted before adding another penalty to put Kirwan's team back in front.

Australia reacted with a try from Rob Horne, who was served by Matt Toomua, and when Bernard Foley went over two minutes later it seemed over as a contest.

Sean McMahon, on his first Wallaby appearance, then went over and Bernard Foley, on for Cooper, converted to make it 40-22.

It looked all over but the Barbarians hit back with Cummins earning the biggest cheer of the afternoon when he ran on to Tim Nanai-Williams' exquisite delayed pop pass.

And two minutes later it was Marnitz Boshoff who went over to get the Barbarians back within a score.

Australia, to their credit, kept attacking, and even when the 80 minutes were up, they didn't initially kick it out.

But after both sides had given it a go in search of a final try, the Wallabies decided enough was enough and settled for an entertaining victory.

Man of the match:  There were so many people who impressed, particularly for the Barbarians, but there's no question that Tevita Kuridrani was the difference between the teams.  A menace with ball in hand, he scored one, set up another and was everywhere.

Moment of the match:  How to choose?  In the end we're going to go with Nick Cummins' try that got the Baabaas back into it.  The Honey Badger was the man everyone wanted to see, and he looked to enjoy that try.  It also sparked the dramatic late comeback!

Villain of the match:  No-one in a game like this.  Played as Baabaas matches should be.

The scorers:

For Australia:
Tries:  Carter, Robinson, Kuridrani, Horne, Foley, McMahon
Cons:  Cooper 3, Foley2

For Barbarians:
Tries:  Halai, Thomson, Saili, Cummins, Boshoff
Cons:  Slade 2, Boshoff 2
Pen:  Slade

The teams:

Barbarians:  15 Tim Nanai-Williams, 14 Frank Halai, 13 Juan de Jongh, 12 Francis Saili, 11 Nick Cummins, 10 Colin Slade, 9 Tomás Cubelli, 8 Steven Luatua, 7 Matt Todd, 6 Adam Thomson, 5 Al Kellock, 4 Dominic Bird, 3 Angus Ta'avao, 2 James Parsons, 1 Matt Stevens.
Replacements:  16 Mahonri Schwalger, 17 Thomas du Toit, 18 Lourens Adriaanse, 19 Heinrich Brussow, 20 Matías Alemanno, 21 Sarel Pretorius, 22 Joaquín Tuculet, 23 Marnitz Boshoff.

Australia:  15 Israel Folau, 14 Henry Speight, 13 Tevita Kuridrani, 12 Matt Toomua, 11 Rob Horne, 10 Quade Cooper, 9 Will Genia, 8 Ben McCalman, 7 Matt Hodgson (c), 6 Scott Higginbotham, 5 James Horwill, 4 Sam Carter, 3 Ben Alexander, 2 Saia Fainga'a, 1 Benn Robinson.
Replacements:  16 James Hanson, 17 James Slipper, 18 Sekope Kepu, 19 Will Skelton, 20 Sean McMahon, 21 Nic White, 22 Bernard Foley, 23 Christian Leali'ifano

Referee:  Jaco Peyper (South Africa)
Assistant referees:  JP Doyle (England), Gregory Garner (England)
Television match official:  Rowan Kitt (England)

Barbarians hammer Fiji in classic

The Barbarians outclassed Fiji 43-19 in an entertaining match played in front of a near 70,000 crowd to mark the Islanders' centenary.

It was a match played in great spirit, with both teams exhibiting the running rugby craved by the Twickenham supporters, and some of the game's greats showcasing their silky handling and offensive prowess.

A scrappy opening five minutes was quickly overcome by a wonderful 80 metre try from the Fijians.  Fly-half Seremai Bai chipped over the flat Barbarians defence for Glasgow Warriors full-back Niko Matawalu.

The onrushing Matawalu gathered and danced his way round several defenders before offloading to Asaeli Tikoirotuma who cruised in under the posts to open the scoring.  Bai knocked over the simple conversion.

The Barbarians proceeded to dominate the next fifteen minutes, with virtually all the play inside the Fijian 22, and the Islanders infringing time and again.

Steve Hansen's side gained the upper hand in the set-piece, and efforts from Bismarck du Plessis and Matias Diaz were denied after referral to the TMO.

The Fijian defence — not unlike their sevens counterparts who so comprehensively outplayed New Zealand in Dubai earlier on Saturday — was aggressive and quick to pressure the Barbarians, but their resistance was finally broken when du Plessis powered over from close range.  Lambie failed with the conversion from out wide.

From the resultant kick-off, openside Mala Ravulo paid the price for his team's indiscipline, tackling an opponent in the air, and was shown a yellow card by Pascal Gauzere.

And despite the subsequent wave of pressure from the BaaBaas, Fiji held firm, and continued to look to play fast, high-tempo rugby.  They welcomed the flanker back onto the field with the scores still 7-5 in their favour.

But a quick tap on their own 22 proved to be their undoing, as the ball was spilled, and Springbok number eight Duane Vermeulen scooped up to stroll under the posts for one of Test rugby's more surreal tries.  Lambie, this time, could scarcely miss from straight in front, and added the extras for a 12-7 lead approaching half-time.

The BaaBaas still had time to build upon their lead, however, and a driving maul saw du Plessis barrel over for his second of the game, continuing the South African scoring theme.  Lambie's conversion drifted wide of the mark, and the teams went into the break with score 17-7 in favour of Hansen's charges.

Scrum-half TJ Perenara spilled the ball from the kick-off, but his pack bailed him out with a monstrous scrum against the head, catching the Fijians cold, and allowing substitute Willie le Roux to race away up the right-hand-side.

The break came to nothing when Frank Halai spilled possession, but the TMO was called for again as Perenara hacked through into the in-goal area, but the covering Sam Speight got hands to the ball before Vermeulen.

Du Plessis' last act was a powerful burst up the left touchline, but the tries kept coming for the BaaBaas.

A cross-kick from le Roux found All Black Charles Piutau on the 22, who spun beautifully out of one tackle before cutting inside to touch down under the posts, and kill off any lingering hopes of a Fijian comeback.

Just three minutes later, a break and offload from the outstanding Steven Luatua released Springbok skipper Jean de Villiers to dot down in the corner.  Lambie made the touchline conversion to bring the scores to 31-7.

With the game well out of sight, the Barbarians turned on the style with some considerable aplomb, and notched what proved to be the try of the day.

Glorious offloads from le Roux, de Villiers and Burger splintered the Fijian defence and had the crowd purring as Tom Taylor finished off in the corner.

The Twickenham supporters were brought to the feet again in the closing stages, as play swung from end to end, and possession changed hands time and again.

This time, it was the Fijians' power and handling abilities that won through, as Henry Seniloli finished off a great counter-attack.

Vermeulen was yellow-carded in the build-up for a nasty high tackle.

The BaaBaas thought they had the final say, when a delightful Lambie chip set up team-mate de Villiers to gather under the posts and bring up 40 points for the composite side.

But, fittingly on their centenary, Fiji broke away with the final score from Alex Rokobaro an fine end to a fine occasion.

Man of the match:  Plenty candidates for the Barbarians, with Matawalu sticking his hand up for the Islanders, but Steven Luatua gets my vote for a superb all-round performance.  Devastating in attack and defence, thriving in both the tight exchanges, and when the game began to break up.

Villain of the match:  No villains today, but Vermeulen's high shot was cynical and unnecessary late on.

Moment of the match:  Great tries all-round, but Piutau's fine gather, spin, and finish ended the match as a contest.

The scorers:

For Barbarians:
Tries:  du Plessis 2, Vermeulen, Piutau, de Villiers 2, Taylor
Cons:  Lambie 4
Yellow Card:  Vermeulen

For Fiji:
Tries:  Tikoirotuma, Seniloli, Rokobaro
Cons: Bai 2
Yellow Card:  Ravulo

Barbarians:  15 Santiago Cordero, 14 Frank Halai, 13 Gavin Williams, 12 Jean de Villiers (captain), 11 Charles Piutau, 10 Patrick Lambie, 9 TJ Perenara, 8 Duane Vermeulen, 7 Schalk Burger, 6 Steven Luatua, 5 Dominic Bird, 4 Mick O'Driscoll, 3 Matias Diaz, 2 Bismarck du Plessis, 1 Tendai Mtawarira.
Replacements:  16 Keven Mealamu, 17 Guillermo Roan, 18 Coenie Oosthuizen, 19 Manuel Carizza, 20 Luke Whitelock, 21 Martin Landajo, 22 Tom Taylor, 23 Willie le Roux.

Fiji:15 Nikola Matawalu, 14 Adriu Delai, 13 Asaeli Tikoirotuma, 12 Levani Botia, 11 Sam Speight, 10 Seremaia Bai, 9 Nemia Kenatale, 8 Nemani Nagusa, 7 Sam Matavesi/Netani Talei, 6 Mala Ravulo, 5 Api Naikatini, 4 Leone Nakarawa, 3 Manasa Saulo, 2 Peni Ravai, 1 Campese Ma'afu.
Replacements:  16 Jerry Naureure, 17 Jerry Yanuyanutawa, 18 Sete Somoca, 19 Maku Koroiyadi, 20 Sam Matavesi/Netani Talei, 21 Henry Seniloli, 22 Waisea Luveniyali, 23 Alex Rokobaro.

Referee:  Pascal Gauzere (France)

Lions sweat to heavy victory

The British and Irish Lions began their 2013 tour with a 59-8 victory over the Barbarians in an intensely humid affair in Hong Kong.

Eight tries from the Lions including doubles from Mike Phillips and Alex Cuthbert set them on the road to success as encouraging moments were mixed with multiple handling errors — the Lions coming into their own to produce an excellent second half.

The humidity, at one point reaching 94 percent, turned both sets of shirts into waterslides — with the state of Paul O'Connell's kit after the opening quarter telling the story.

Overall, greater cohesion in the set-piece and fitness from the Lions were enough to create a comfortable victory.

Flashes of brilliance from young stars such as Richie Gray, Stuart Hogg and Jonathan Davies all showed that they will be challenging for Test places, but the assuredness of Lions veterans Phillips and O'Connell — the first two try-scorers — truly guided the Lions ship through their opening fixture with eventual ease.

A heavy tackle from Casey Laulala on Hogg offered a reminder that this occasion would be far removed from the exhibition the Barbarians served up at Twickenham — but it was Farrell who racked up the game's first points with a penalty.

Farrell's early composure then sorely let him down.  Punched by his Saracens team-mate Schalk Brits after holding him at the ruck, Farrell angrily reacted but the penalty against him was then reversed — with Brits instead sent for ten minutes in the sin-bin.

Sean Maitland came close to a debut Lions try, but the distance and bounce of a clever kick through by Davies proved too much.  Farrell's second shot at goal, after a busy few minutes, then flew wide to the left of the posts.

Wasps youngster Elliot Daly added a long-range penalty to put the Barbarians on the board but it was the Lions who showed the greater promise early on.

Trying to juggle a ball as slippery as an ice cube turned handling into a nightmare — but the scrum though was an area of greater certainty, early Lions dominance resulting in another penalty for Farrell who this time comfortably converted.

Slippery the ball might have been, but the Lions put together a persistent five minutes of possession to bring them right up to the Barbarians try line.  Phillips went close but was held up by a brilliant Martin Castrogiovanni tackle — but O'Connell was not to be denied, the first try-scorer of the 2013 tour burrowing over.

A second try was not far behind.  The communication between Phillips and Farrell appeared to be under construction, but the Welsh scrum-half's individual carrying was strong and a break through the defence saw him this time reach the line.

Continued struggles for the Barbarians at the scrum compounded any territory or continuity they were able to build up.  The Lions won another penalty before half-time for Farrell to convert — leading 23-3 at half-time.

Phillips had been difficult to contain in the first half and he didn't let up, scampering over after the interval for his second try of the match.  Gliding through a gap at the back of the lineout after Sam Jones slipped for the Barbarians, there was no stopping him from close-range.

Mako Vunipola's offload then released Justin Tipuric under the posts but excellent defence from Joe Rokocoko denied the Osprey from close-range.

It was nearly followed up a mesmeric team try, starting at the back with Hogg and Alex Cuthbert and ending after good work from Maitland and Justin Tipuric with Farrell's pass being cut off by Dimitri Yachvili.  End to end, more fitting of a real Barbarians fixture, with the Lions looking confident.

The Barbarians though can play.  Rokocoko's defensive work had been his best work so far until he left Toby Faletau for dead with an inside step, feeding Kahn Fotuali'i to score.

Davies' try for the Lions was less pretty, Jamie Roberts and his Welsh centre partner fumbling their way to touching the ball down for the tourists after confirmation from the TMO.

Alex Cuthbert got in on the act with a sprint down the right touchline after more good work from Roberts and he was at it again minutes later — Conor Murray coming off the bench and like a replica of Phillips slicing through a gap and finding the winger on his outside.

Time remained for Dan Lydiate to add a score of his own, pouncing from the back of a rolling maul to bring up the 50-point mark for Warren Gatland's side.

There was time left for another try, carrying on the trend of the night coming another Welshman, this time by Alun-Wyn Jones who cantered over after a fine pass from Sexton.

It sealed a strong win, as much a battle against the conditions as it was a battle against the Barbarians, with links forged and tries aplenty to send the Lions on their way to Australia.

The scorers:

For Barbarians:
Try:  Fotuali'i
Pen:  Daly
Yellow Card:  Brits

For British and Irish Lions:
Tries:  O'Connell, Phillips 2, Davies, Cuthbert 2, Lydiate, AW Jones
Cons:  Farrell 3, Sexton 2
Pens:  Farrell 3

Barbarians:  15 Jared Payne, 14 Joe Rokocoko, 13 Elliot Daly, 12 Casey Laulala, 11 Taku Ngwenya, 10 Nick Evans, 9 Dimitri Yachvili, 8 Sergio Parisse, 7 Sam Jones, 6 Samu Manoa, 5 Dean Mumm, 4 Marco Wentzel, 3 Martin Castrogiovanni, 2 Schalk Brits, 1 Paul James.
Replacements:  16 Leonardo Ghiraldini, 17 Duncan Jones, 18 Jim Hamilton, 19 Imanol Harinordoquy, 20 Andrea Lo Cicero, 21 Kahn Fotuali'i, 22 James Hook, 23 Mike Tindall.

British and Irish Lions:  15 Stuart Hogg, 14 Alex Cuthbert, 13 Jonathan Davies, 12 Jamie Roberts, 11 Sean Maitland, 10 Owen Farrell, 9 Mike Phillips, 8 Toby Faletau, 7 Justin Tipuric, 6 Dan Lydiate, 5 Paul O'Connell (c), 4 Richie Gray, 3 Adam Jones, 2 Richard Hibbard, 1 Mako Vunipola.
Replacements:  16 Tom Youngs, 17 Cian Healy, 18 Matt Stevens, 19 Alun Wyn Jones, 20 Jamie Heaslip, 21 Conor Murray, 22 Johnny Sexton, 23 George North.

Date:  Saturday June 1
Venue:  Hong Kong Stadium, Hong Kong
Kick-off:  19.30 (11.30 GMT)
Referee:  Steve Walsh (Australia)
Assistant referees:  Lourens van der Merwe (South Africa), Angus Gardner (Australia)
Television match official:  Matt Goddard (Australia)

Welsh late show beats Barbarians

Wales recorded a come-from-behind 30-21 victory over the Barbarians on Saturday in an entertaining game at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.

Inside centre James Hook and wing Aled Brew were the heroes for the hosts as their converted tries in the last ten minutes sent the Welsh to Australia with a decent win under their belt.

The special Test fixture was meant to be Shane and Martyn Williams' day but ultimately the match may be remembered for Harry Robinson's debut.

The 19-year-old Cardiff Blues finisher scored a breathtaking try after scrum-half Lloyd Williams spotted space wide on the right and from 40 metres, Robinson raced into the corner with Mils Muliaina unable to make up the ground to stop him.  It was quite a way to enjoy a home debut.

His try on ten minutes had followed an earlier James Hook penalty and his extras of Robinson's effort gave Wales a ten-point lead.

Hook added a further three points from the kicking tee on 25 minutes as it looked like Rob Howley was about to enjoy watching a clinical performance against the Baa-baas.

But that proved not to be the case as Barbarians fly-half Stephen Donald's opportunistic effort and Welsh scrum-half Richie Rees scoring on 27 and 36 minutes respectively — Donald converting — saw the improving visitors go in at half-time with a 13-14 advantage.

There was a raft of changes after the break as Aled de Malmanche, Anton van Zyl, Sailosi Tagicakibau, Neemia Tialata, Akapusi Qera and Rory Lawson all emerged before the next try was posted on the hour.  It was again Donald getting in on the act as the pivot spotted space in the Welsh backline — in between Dan Biggar and Andrew Bishop — and promptly powered over before adding the extras.  It was now 16-21 due to an earlier Hook penalty.

But then came the Welsh fightback as Hook did well to hold two defenders and cross from 30 metres on the left wing before Brew intercepted a pass to add the icing on the cake as both Williams' said goodbye to the 57,000 watching supporters at Millennium Stadium.

The scorers:

For Wales:
Tries:  Robinson, Hook, Brew
Con:  Hook 3
Pen:  Hook 3

For Barbarians:
Tries:  Donald 2, Rees
Con:  Donald 3

Wales:  15 Liam Williams, 14 Harry Robinson, 13 Andrew Bishop, 12 James Hook, 11 Aled Brew, 10 Dan Biggar, 9 Lloyd Williams, 8 Ryan Jones, 7 Justin Tipuric, 6 Josh Turnbull, 5 Ian Evans, 4 Alun Wyn Jones, 3 Rhodri Jones, 2 Matthew Rees (c), 1 Rhys Gill.
Replacements:  16 Richard Hibbard, 17 Paul James, 18 Aaron Shingler, 19 Martyn Williams, 20 Rhys Webb, 21 Adam Warren, 22 Will Harries.

Barbarians:  15 Mils Muliana, 14 Isa Nacewa, 13 Mike Tindall, 12 Casey Laulala, 11 Shane Williams, 10 Stephen Donald, 9 Richie Rees, 8 Mamuka Gorgodze, 7 Johnnie Beattie, 6 Francois Louw, 5 Mark Chisholm, 4 Mick O'Driscoll, 3 John Smit (capt), 2 Benoit August, 1 Duncan Jones.
Replacements:  16 Aled de Malmanche, 17 Neemia Tialata, 18 Anton Van Zyl, 19 Akapusi Qera, 20 Rory Lawson, 21 Sailosi Tagicakibau, 22 Cedric Heymans.

Referee:  Alain Rolland (Ireland)

Ireland beaten by Barbarians

Ireland could only warm up for their forthcoming tour of New Zealand with a 29-28 defeat at the hands of the Barbarians at Kingsholm.

The Irish, deprived of Leinster players resting after their RaboDirect PRO12 final defeat, scored four tries like their opponents but were undone by Felipe Contepomi's late penalty kick.

The Barbarians took a 10th-minute lead when home favourite Mike Tindall made a half break and from the ensuing ruck, Paul Sackey sent over former Gloucester star Iain Balshaw for a try that Contepomi converted.

But Ireland responded and from their first incursion into the Barbarians 22, Craig Gilroy finished strongly for the try which captain Ronan O'Gara converted to tie up the scores.

Benetton Treviso lock Cornelius van Zyl crossed to put the invitation side back in front but back came Ireland when Gilroy produced a stunning burst down the right flank to set up Keith Earls, O'Gara adding the extras.

Sackey caught Ireland's defence napping and raced away for the try Contepomi converted shortly before the half-hour but five minutes after the restart O'Gara was on target again after Simon Zebo touched down to edge Ireland back ahead.

Tindall crashed through the Irish defence to the delight of the Gloucester crowd, before Earls eased through at the other end to keep the game in the balance.

But with three minutes remaining, Barbarians were awarded a penalty in the Irish 22 and for the first time in the match, a kick at goal was chosen, Contepomi the match-winner.

The scorers:

For Barbarians:
Tries:  Balshaw, Van Zyl, Sackey, Tindall
Cons:  Contepomi 3
Pen:  Contepomi

For Ireland:
Tries:  Earls, Gilroy 2, Zebo
Cons:  O'Gara 4

Barbarians:  15 Cedric Heymans, 14 Paul Sackey, 13 Mike Tindall, 12 Damien Traille, 11 Sailosi Tagicakibau, 10 Felipe Contepomi, 9 Rory Lawson, 8 Raphael Lakafia, 7 Francois Louw, 6 Mamuka Gorgodze, 5 Cornelius van Zyl, 4 Mick O'Driscoll (c), 3 John Afoa, 2 Benoit August, 1 Duncan Jones.
Replacements:  16 Aled de Malmanche, 17 Neemia Tialata, 18 Pelu Taele, 19 Akapusi Qera, 20 Richie Rees, 21 Stephen Donald, 22 Isa Nacewa.

Ireland:  15 Keith Earls, 14 Craig Gilroy, 13 Darren Cave, 12 Paddy Wallace, 11 Simon Zebo, 10 Ronan O'Gara (c), 9 Conor Murray, 8 Peter O'Mahony, 7 Chris Henry, 6 John Muldoon, 5 Donnacha Ryan, 4 Dan Tuohy, 3 Declan Fitzpatrick, 2 Mike Sherry, 1 Brett Wilkinson.
Replacements:  16 Rory Best, 17 Ronan Loughney, 18 Donncha O'Callaghan, 19 James Coughlan, 20 Paul Marshall, 21 Nevin Spence, 22 Andrew Trimble.

Referee:  J�r�me Garces (France)

England ease past Barbarians

England wing Chris Ashton bagged a hat-trick to help his team to a record 57-26 win over the Barbarians at Twickenham on Sunday.

The hosts, who scored eight tries in all, produced a performance of intensity and ambition which ensures Stuart Lancaster's side can approach their tour to South Africa in good heart.

England showed a willingness to swing the ball wide at every opportunity, but will be disappointed to have conceded four tries to the Barbarians.

Lancaster's troops scored first when Ashton collected Lee Dickson's cleverly disguised inside pass to trot over under the posts in the 18th minute.

England lock Mouritz Botha — who was everywhere in a typically hardworking display — put his head down and charged for the corner on the half hour mark, only to be kept out by some brave Barbarians defending.

But the invitational side struck back three minutes later, with New Zealand's 100-Test cap full-back Mils Muliaina finishing classily after former England wing Iain Balshaw's chip ahead bounced into his path.  Fellow Kiwi and 2011 Rugby World Cup hero Stephen Donald added the extras.

But England took control in the closing moments of the half.

First Dylan Hartley — on his return to action after an eight-week biting ban — scored after a clinical catch-and-drive line-out move.  Ashton then scooted over for his second after Hartley's powerful break gave space for Farrell to deliver a simple scoring pass.

Ashton collected his hat-trick just five minutes after the break before Muliaina, who was superb in attack and defence, collected Casey Laulala's stunning offload to score in the corner.

As the game reached the hour mark, Christian Wade marked his debut with a try.  The London Wasps flier looked dangerous with his pace throughout but the 21-year-old had the simple task of ambling over the line after captain Phil Dowson's perfectly timed pass.

The heat rose at Twickenham but the tries kept on coming, with former England captain Mike Tindall barging through two would-be tacklers after taking a quick tap penalty.

Then replacement scrum-half Richard Wigglesworth neatly sidestepped his way under the posts after Ashton raced clear down the right.

Jonathan Joseph became the second senior debutant to score, collecting Farrell's kick to take advantage of a gaping hole in the Barbarians defence, before replacement Raphael Lakafia grabbed a late consolation for the visitors.  Joseph then added another at the death.

The scorers:

For England:
Tries:  Ashton 3, Hartley, Joseph 2, Wade, Wigglesworth
Cons:  Farrell 7
Pen:  Farrell

For Barbarians:
Tries:  Muliaina 2, Taele-Pavihi, Tindall
Cons:  Contepomi, Donald 2

England:  15 Ben Foden, 14 Chris Ashton, 13 Brad Barritt, 12 Owen Farrell, 11 Christian Wade, 10 Charlie Hodgson, 9 Lee Dickson, 8 Phil Dowson (c), 7 Carl Fearns, 6 Tom Johnson, 5 Tom Palmer, 4 Mouritz Botha, 3 Paul Doran Jones, 2 Dylan Hartley, 1 Matt Stevens.
Replacements:  16 Lee Mears, 17 Matt Mullan, 18 Joe Launchbury, 19 Jamie Gibson, 20 Richard Wigglesworth, 21 Jonathan Joseph, 22 Alex Goode.

Barbarians:  15 Mils Muliaina, 14 Paul Sackey, 13 Casey Laulala, 12 Mike Tindall, 11 Ian Balshaw, 10 Stephen Donald, 9 Rory Lawson, 8 Akapusi Qera, 7 John Beattie, 6 Ernst Joubert, 5 Anton van Zyl, 4 Mark Chisholm, 3 John Afoa, 2 John Smit (c), 1 Neemia Tialata.
Replacements:  16 Benoit August, 17 Duncan Jones, 18 Pelu Taele, 19 Raphael Lakafia, 20 Jerome Fillol, 21 Felipe Contepomi, 22 Sailosi Tagicakibau.

Referee:  John Lacey (Ireland)

Wallabies thrash Baa-Baas at Twickers

Australia registered an emphatic 60-11 win over the Barbarians in their Killik Cup clash at Twickenham on Saturday.

As expected, running rugby was the order of the day but in the end the Wallabies were more clinical in the execution of their moves and were rewarded with eight tries against the men in black and white hoops.

Leading the way for the Australians were wings Digby Ioane and Lachlan Turner as well as replacement lock James Horwill, who each crossed over for a brace of tries.

The Baa-Baas' solitary try came via rugby league sensation Sam Tomkins who crossed over for a consolation score in the dying seconds of the match.

Playing on the right wing, Tomkins got little opportunities to showcase his talents as the Wallabies had the bulk of the possession for most of the match.

The Tri-Nations champions' experiment of playing James O'Connor at fly-half proved a success and the 21-year-old rewarded the faith shown in him by Wallabies coach Robbie Deans by scoring 20 points via seven conversions, a penalty and a drop-goal.

As the scoreline suggests Australia dominated most facets of play, although poor discipline in the first half saw Adam Ashley Cooper and James Slipper spending time in the sin bin.

Ashley-Cooper received his marching orders for a deliberate knock-on after Robbie Fruean tried to get a pass away to Tomkins early in the half and Slipper was sent off for a late tackle on Danny Cipriani.

The Barbarians failed to capitalise on their numerical advantage and they were made to pay for this.

The Wallabies led 18-3 at half-time, after Ioane and Turner scored tries and turned on the style in the second half against their hapless opponents.

Australia's dominance was emphasised in the 51 st minute when Horwill crossed over for his first try.

The regular Wallabies captain, who started on the replacements bench, combined brilliantly with replacement hooker Stephen Moore from a lineout on the edge of the Baa-baas' 22 metre area and barged over the tryline mere minutes after he came on to the field.

The Barbarians gave a lacklustre performance from the start and several high-profile players in their ranks seemed disinterested for most of the match.

Their veterans Victor Matfield and Stirling Mortlock toiled manfully but without the support of their team-mates they were always going to struggle against a Wallabies side who gave an almost perfect display.

The scorers:

For Barbarians:
Try:  Tomkins
Pens:  Cipriani 2

For Australia:
Tries:  Horwill 2, Turner 2, Ioane 2, Horne, Samo
Cons:  O'Connor 7
Pen:  O'Connor
Drop-goal:  O'Connor

Barbarians:  15 Isaia Toeava, 14 Sam Tomkins, 13 Robbie Fruean, 12 Stirling Mortlock, 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Danny Cipriani, 9 Peter Stringer, 8 Adam Thomson, 7 Mauro Bergamasco, 6 Jerome Kaino, 5 Victor Matfield (c), 4 Simon Shaw, 3 Sylvain Marconnet, 2 Keven Mealamu, 1 Eusebio Guinazu.
Replacements:  16 Adriaan Strauss, 17 Salvatore Perugini, 18 Jason White, 19 Marco Bortolami, 20 Nemia Kenatale, 21 Richard Kahui, 22 Seru Rabeni.

Australia:  15 Adam Ashley-Cooper, 14 Lachie Turner, 13 Rob Horne, 12 Berrick Barnes, 11 Ioane Digby, 10 James O'Connor, 9 Will Genia, 8 Dave Dennis, 7 David Pocock (captain), 6 Scott Higginbotham, 5 Nathan Sharpe, 4 Rob Simmons, 3 Salesi Ma'afu, 2 Tatafu Polota Nau, 1 James Slipper
Replacements:  16 Stephen Moore, 17 Ben Alexander, 18 James Horwill, 19 Radike Samo, 20 Matt Hodgson, 21 Nick Phipps, 22 Ben Tapuai.

Yellow card:  Adam Ashley-Cooper (Australia — 14th minute), James Slipper (Australia — 30th minute)

Barbarians too hot for Springboks

Two tries from Drew Mitchell were the difference between the Barbarians and Boks, with the 'hosts' winning 26-20 in an entertaining clash at HQ.

It was a fine advert for this historic spectacle, not least because the Baa-Baas were celebrating their 120th year.  It was a very happy birthday.

Mitchell was again a key outlet on the wing while Anton van Zyl, very much a South African, put in a dominant performance in his adopted pack.

Several games across Britain were called off due to the weather this weekend but the London pitch looked in surprisingly decent nick for the contest.  And that was great news for the supporters who had braved the cold to come out and watch such a star-studded Barbarians team in action.  They did not disappoint either, with Ma'a Nonu dominating the midfield, Neemia Tialata lapping up some running up front and James O'Connor roaming.

It was that man Nonu who got the 'hosts' on the front-foot too as he slipped the net on halfway, beating three defenders to take his side up to the 22.  From there the Barbarians mounted serious pressure on the Springbok whitewash with the score looking ominous.  Finally it came on six minutes when Will Genia popped an inside ball to in-form Wallaby team-mate Drew Mitchell for the opening score of the day.

South Africa did knock over a response through a penalty from fly-half Elton Jantjies four minutes later, who made a nervy debut in green and gold particularly from the kicking tee.

But that only awoke the Baa-baas beast as a mistake at the Bok line-out saw All Blacks prop Tialata rampaging at the visitors' whitewash.  He came close but the damage was done, with numbers to the left resulting in a simple run-in for O'Connor, who kicked the extras.

More was to come for the now warmed spectators though and it was arguably the moment of the match.  Yet again from turnover ball, captain Matt Giteau stretched his legs down the left wing before a slick inside ball to Adam Ashley-Cooper then saw the centre chip over and from there it was a foot-race that Mitchell won.  The Waratahs winger was definitely following up his hat-trick against France with another strong performance, this time at Twickenham.

Peter de Villiers had obviously had a stern word with his charges at the break and credit to them, the Springboks came out firing on 44 minutes.  The try came from a Barbarians mistake however, as Nonu's speculative pass found the hands of Odwa Ndungane.

Jantjies sent over the simple conversion and the scores were 19-10 with a great deal of time remaining.  But the Lions number ten then proceeded to miss the opportunity to cut the lead further just before the hour, and it was not the most difficult of shots.

A South African-born player then scored a five-pointer however, it was the Italian lock forward Quintin Geldenhuys who got over following another sustained period of possession.  O'Connor added two more points and the game as a contest seemed to be over.

The Boks did rally late on though as Bakkies Botha and replacement hooker Bandise Maku crossed on 71 and 80 minutes respectively to cap an entertaining affair at Twickenham.

Man-of-the-match:  Many put their hand up for this gong but we have gone for a South African playing in Barbarians colours.  Anton van Zyl was a real physical presence for his side and led the pack with a powerful performance.  Mentions go to Ma'a Nonu, Adam Ashley-Cooper and Drew Mitchell, who were all threatening throughout.

The scorers:

For Barbarians:
Tries:  Mitchell 2, O'Connor, Geldenhuys
Con:  O'Connor 3

For South Africa:
Try:  Ndungane, Botha
Con:  Jantjies
Pen:  Jantjies

Barbarians:  15 James O'Connor, 14 Joe Rokocoko, 13 Adam Ashley-Cooper, 12 Ma'a Nonu, 11 Drew Mitchell, 10 Matt Giteau (c), 9 Will Genia, 8 Colin Bourke, 7 Martyn Williams, 6 Rodney So'oialo, 5 Chris Jack, 4 Anton van Zyl, 3 Neemia Tialata, 2 Stephen Moore, 1 Salvatore Perugini.
Replacements:  16 Keven Mealamu, 17 John Yapp, 18 Quintin Geldenhuys, 19 Daniel Braid, 20 Andy Ellis, 21 Stephen Donald, 22 Seru Rabini.

South Africa:  15 Patrick Lambie, 14 Odwa Ndungane, 13 Adi Jacobs, 12 Andries Strauss, 11 Lwazi Mvovo, 10 Elton Jantjies, 9 François Hougaard, 8 Ryan Kankowski, 7 Juan Smith (c), 6 Willem Alberts, 5 Alistair Hargreaves, 4 Bakkies Botha, 3 CJ van der Linde, 2 Adriaan Strauss, 1 Coenie Oosthuizen.
Replacements:  16 Bandise Maku, 17 Tendai Mtawarira, 18 Werner Kruger, 19 Flip van der Merwe, 20 Keegan Daniel, 21 Charl McLeod, 22 Gio Aplon.

Referee:  Pascal Gauzere (France)
Assistant referees:  Christophe Berdos (France), Peter Allan (Scotland)

Barbarians bow to England

England kicked off the mid-year internationals with a 35-26 victory over the star-studded Barbarians at Twickenham on Sunday.

Like their footballing compatriots, Martin Johnson's troops put together a serviceable performance to bolster spirits ahead of the daunting trip south of the equator.

But having led 25-7 at the break, questions will be raised to why the locals failed to throw away the key.

In the end they were forced to kick penalties in order to quell a typically cavalier showing from the famous international side.

James Haskell, Shontayne Hape, Ben Foden and Mike Tindall all touched down as England made the most of some generous defending to cruise to victory.

Toulon-bound winger Paul Sackey scored a try in each half for the Barbarians and replacements David Smith and Census Johnson rumbled over to give the scoreline an air of respectability.

England head Down Under on Monday night for a five-match tour that includes two Tests against the Wallabies, two meetings with the Australian Barbarians and a clash with the New Zealand Maori.

All three teams will pose a far sterner test than the Barbarians, who at times reacted to the sunshine over Twickenham as if they were playing touch rugby on the beach.

The match did at least give Johnson a chance to run the rule over a clutch of returning players and new faces before the tour starts in earnest a week on Tuesday.

Charlie Hodgson, back after two years in the international wilderness, made a lively contribution at fly-half and finished with ten points before a bloody nose forced him off, while the back row of Nick Easter, Delon Armitage and Haskell were all prominent.

And scrum-half Danny Care responded well to the gauntlet that Ben Youngs threw down with his performance for Leicester in Saturday's Guinness Premiership final.

England made countless line-breaks and Mark Cueto was a constant danger with scything runs from deep but there remain question marks over Hape at inside centre.

Ultimately, however, Johnson will need to see his men tested in far more hostile surroundings to draw any firm conclusions.

The Twickenham announcer's last words before kick-off were to prepare the 41,035 crowd for "80 minutes of world-class rugby" although for most of the match the Barbarians offered anything but.

They may be proud to uphold the old amateur ethos of bonding at the bar but optional defence neither makes for a decent contest nor, in this case, helps to properly assess England's strengths.

Hodgson scuffed his first penalty low, wide and ugly but responded positively to send Cueto past a distinctly uninterested Florian Fritz and on a 70-yard burst.

England kept the pressure on with good hands from Foden and a Steve Thompson charge before the Barbarians were penalised for offside and this time Hodgson converted.

The Sale fly-half showed good strength to wriggle out of two tackles on half-way before offloading for Dave Attwood to rampage forward as England began to tick.

Hodgson slotted a second penalty before Haskell showed some clever footwork to skip away from Sackey and Ross Skeate, who collided in pantomime fashion as the Stade Francais flanker touched down.

England extended their lead to 20-0 when Hape stepped through a giant gap between Fritz and Ben Kay to score on his senior debut.

Finally the Barbarians offered something worth cheering as Jean-Baptiste Elissalde, a member of Toulouse's Heineken Cup-winning team, brilliantly collected his own chip and sent Sackey over for the try.

Sackey fended Hodgson off on his way through and the England fly-half was forced to make way for Olly Barkley.

The Barbarians began to play as if they were the Harlem Globetrotters but England's response was instant as Easter swooped on a loose ball.

The captain galloped over half-way before Thompson slung the pass wide for Foden, who raced in for England's third try and a 25-7 half-time lead.

The Barbarians' saloon-door defending continued after the break as Tindall slipped Fritz's tackle and sailed untouched through a gaping midfield hole to touch down under the posts.

Cueto embarked on a third break but once again failed to find his support runners, something that will concern Johnson given the paucity of the opposition.

Both sides began to ring the changes and the Barbarians began to play more direct rugby and profited to the tune of three second-half tries.

Smith crashed over in the 56th minute after a bulldozing run before Johnson, the giant Samoan prop who gave Tim Payne a tough afternoon in the scrum, drove over for the Barbarians' third.

Sackey's second try was a thing of beauty as Cedric Heyman dummied a flick behind his back and stayed in field long enough to supply the scoring pass.

Barkley rounded off the day with a penalty shot at goal in the last minute, a decision which was rightly greeted with derision by the supporters.

The scorers:

For England:
Tries:  Haskell, Hape, Foden, Tindall
Cons:  Hodgson 2, Barkley
Pens:  Hodgson 2, Barkley

For Barbarians:
Tries:  Sackey 2, Smith, Johnston
Cons:  Elissalde 3

The teams:

England:  15 Ben Foden, 14 Mark Cueto, 13 Mike Tindall, 12 Shontayne Hape, 11 David Strettle, 10 Charlie Hodgson, 9 Danny Care, 8 Nick Easter (captain), 7 Steffon Armitage, 6 James Haskell, 5 Tom Palmer, 4 Dave Attwood, 3 Paul Doran-Jones, 2 Steve Thompson, 1 Jon Golding.
Replacements:  16 Lee Mears, 17 Tim Payne, 18 Dan Ward-Smith, 19 Joe Worsley, 20 Joe Simpson, 21 Olly Barkley, 22 Mathew Tait.

Barbarians:  15 Paul Warwick, 14 Paul Sackey, 13 Casey Laulala, 12 Florian Fritz, 11 Cedric Heymans, 10 Jean-Baptiste Ellisalde, 9 Byron Kelleher, 8 Xavier Rush (captain), 7 Martyn Williams, 6 Rodney So'oialo, 5 Ben Kay, 4 Ross Skeate, 3 Julian White, 2 Benoit August, 1 Rodrigo Roncero.
Replacements:  16 Ken Owens, 17 Census Johnston, 18 Jerome Thion, 19 George Smith, 20 Pierre Mignoni, 21 Fabrice Estebanez, 22 David Smith.

Referee:  Jérôme Garces
Assistant referees:  Romain Poite, Pascal Gauzere
TMO:  Bob Ockenden, David Matthews

Habana treble sinks All Blacks

New Zealand ended 2009 on a slightly sour note on Saturday as a Bryan Habana hat-trick-inspired Barbarians beat them 25-18 at Twickenham.

The dashing Springbok winger was treated to a standing ovation at HQ as reward for a dazzling display of finishing that saw him named man of the match.

Ben Smith and lock Anthony Boric crossed for New Zealand -- the world's top ranked side -- but it was not enough to prevent the Barbarians from clinching a famous victory.

Australia fly-half Matt Giteau must have pushed Habana close for the man of the match honours after booting seven points and proving a thorn in the All Blacks' side throughout.

Barbarians fixtures are traditionally preceded by a discussion over their relevance in the modern game, though the 63,554 crowd that descended on Twickenham clearly thought they still have a role to play.

As a spectacle the contest just about lived up to expectation, though it was fascinating throughout and was more akin to a Test match than a crowd-pleaser.

The Barbarians' line-up contained 925 caps including six Springboks and while they sought to honour their swashbuckling tradition, New Zealand provided typically resilient opposition.

The All Blacks fielded what was effectively their second string -- skipper Richie McCaw aside -- and suffered the first defeat of a gruelling five-match tour that ended on Saturday.

The crowd had come to be entertained so New Zealand's decision to take an early kick at goal -- Stephen Donald landed the points -- drew a chorus of boos.

Provoked by the response, both teams began running at each other with intent and it was unfortunate the All Blacks' ambition proved their undoing in the eleventh minute.

Hooker Corey Flynn surged into the 22 and placed the ball down in the hope of recycling it -- but there was no support.

Showing quick thinking, Wallaby full-back Drew Mitchell scooped up possession and dashed 30 metres before supplying the scoring pass to Habana.

Matt Giteau made the tricky touchline conversion and kept the pressure on with a muscular run that swept him within five metres of the line.

Scrum-half Fourie du Preez almost wriggled over but was denied by McCaw in the nick of time.

The Barbarians were on the rampage, but New Zealand responded with a precise series of moves that restored their lead.

Luke McAlister made the initial break that stretched the Barbarians' defence, creating an overlap that straight running and quick hands exploited to send Smith over.

New Zealand seemed in control but Habana pounced for his second try, grabbing a loose pass by Donald to race home after juggling with the ball and giving the Barbarians a 14-10 half-time lead.

Only a try-saving tackle by McAlister prevented Rocky Elsom from crossing in the right corner after being teed-up by a crossfield bomb from Giteau.

It was then Habana's turn to come to his side's rescue, preventing Brendon Leonard from crossing after the All Blacks has spent several minutes pounding at the line with a series of scrums.

The Barbarians' determination to win was underlined when Giteau slotted his first penalty with three points sparking a period of domination from the invitational team.

But once again McAlister strode into space, starting a move that was finished when Boric crashed over.

Leading 17-15, the Barbarians raced in their third try with Habana inevitably accepting the crucial pass after Giteau's slippery run has caused doubt in New Zealand's defence.

Substitute Mike Delany landed a penalty with nine minutes to go but Morne Steyn stepped off the bench to respond in kind and the Barbarians successfully closed out the game.

The scorers:

For Barbarians:
Tries:  Habana 3
Con:  Giteau 2
Pen:  Giteau, Steyn

For New Zealand:
Tries:  Smith, Boric
Con:  Donald
Pen:  Donald, Delany

Barbarians:  15 Drew Mitchell, 14 Joe Rokocoko, 13 Jaque Fourie, 12 Jamie Roberts, 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Matt Giteau, 9 Fourie du Preez, 8 George Smith, 7 Schalk Burger, 6 Rocky Elsom, 5 Victor Matfield (capt), 4 Carlo del Fava, 3 WP Nel, 2 Bismarck du Plessis, 1 Salvatore Perugini.
Replacements:  16 Stephen Moore, 17 Tendai Mtawarira, 18 Quintin Geldenhuys, 19 Andy Powell, 20 Will Genia, 21 Morne Steyn, 22 Leigh Halfpenny.

New Zealand:  15 Cory Jane, 14 Ben Smith, 13 Tamati Ellison, 12 Luke McAlister, 11 Zac Guildford, 10 Stephen Donald, 9 Brendon Leonard, 8 Rodney So'oialo, 7 Richie McCaw (capt), 6 Liam Messam, 5 Anthony Boric, 4 Jason Eaton, 3 John Afoa, 2 Corey Flynn, 1 Wyatt Crockett.
Replacements:  16 Andrew Hore, 17 Neemia Tialata, 18 Adam Thomson, 19 Tanerau Latimer, 20 Jimmy Cowan, 21 Mike Delany, 22 Sitiveni Sivivatu.

Referee:  Christophe Berdos (France)
Assistant referees:  Romain Poite (France, David Changleng (Scotland)
TMO:  Andrew Turner (England), Graham Hughes (England)

Baa-Baas no match for Wallabies

Australia opened their international season by smashing the Barbarians 55-7 in Sydney on Saturday, running in eight tries past the visitors in the famous white and black hoops.

Most pleasing for Wallabies fans was the fact that their were clearly picking up where they left off last year -- playing like a side that had been together for six months, not six days.

The Barbarians started well, a penalty putting them deep into Wallabies territory and it was almost a dream international rugby debut for Sonny Bill Williams as he charged through a tackle of Wallabies captain Stirling Mortlock only to be stopped inches short from a superb tackle from Luke Burgess.

Mortlock got his revenge just minutes later hitting Williams in a huge tackle that brought cheers from the packed Sydney Football Stadium crowd and a rye smile from the former Rugby League star.

It was the Wallabies turn to attack soon after when a clever kick ahead from Burgess saw his team-mates turn over possession just metres from the Barbarians' line.

A few phases later lock James Horwill ran a sharp angle to cut through the Barbarians' defence and crash over for the opening try for the Wallabies' 2009 season. Matt Giteau missed the conversion, but the hosts were up 5-0 after six minutes.

An offside penalty gave the Wallabies another scoring opportunity, and Mortlock showed how serious they were taking the Barbarians threat by pointing to the posts where Giteau duly obliged.

Mortlock put in a powerful run soon after and it looked like the Wallabies were in again but a crunching tackle from All Blacks legend Jerry Collins dispossessed the Wallaby skipper.

But just a minute later the home side were in after a superb scything run from winger Drew Mitchell, who picked up a loose ball in the Barbarians 22 and went through the tackles of centre Seilala Mapusua, prop B J Botha and Williams to score wide out -- just managing to ground the ball over the line despite the attention of scrum-half Chris Whitaker.

Giteau again missed the conversion but after 16 minutes the Wallabies were in control at 13-0.

The gap was almost bigger just four minutes later when breaks from inside centre Berrick Barnes and Burgess saw winger Lachie Turner sprint away before being tackled into touch just a metre from the line.

It was a momentary reprieve for the visitors, with Giteau selling two dummies to a perplexed Barbarians backline before strolling over untouched next to the posts. Giteau converted his own try and after 23 minutes the men in green and gold were out to a 20-0 lead.

The Barbarians looked to strike back shortly after with Mapusua finding a gap before Whitaker sent a long pass to winger Iain Balshaw, whose neat grubber was just gathered in time by Burgess.

Strong defence and speedy attack had the Wallabies well in control -- and the Baa-Baas were further disrupted when Mapusua limped off to be replaced by Saracens fly-half Glen Jackson, with Luke McAlister moving to inside centre.

But the Barbarians struck back just before half-time with McAlister making a break on his own 22 before Whitaker popped up twice to put Balshaw away on a sprint down the left touchline. McAlister converted wide out to give the Baa-Baas something to smile about.

The Barbarians launched the second half with a superb long range attack after replacement Ben Blair was away on a superb break, but some quick work from Mitchell saw the ball turned over deep into Wallabies' territory.

Moments later the Wallabies were on the attack. Flanker George Smith popped the ball back into replacement half-back Josh Valentine who then fed the ball inside to hooker Stephen Moore who charged away on a twenty metre burst to the line.

Giteau again converted and the Wallabies were well clear at 27-7 up with just over twenty minutes left to play.

The Barbarians then launched another attack with replacement hooker Schalk Brits (on for Sebastien Bruno) making a break before feeding inside to another replacement, prop Greg Somerville (on for Clarke Dermody).

Williams, who was having an impressive international debut, was then upended in a huge hit by Turner. Barbarian's captain Phil Waugh then received a huge ovation as he went off after a tireless performance to be replaced by French legend, Serge Betsen. Lock Chris Jack was also replaced by the Baa-Baas with Martin Corry coming on for his last game.

Ben Alexander showed the backs how it was done on 65 minutes running a superb angle from a Berrick Barnes pass to dive over under the posts for his first try for the Wallabies. The try coming after a strong burst up the middle from Mortlock.

Another conversion to Giteau and the Wallabies were up 34-7.

Polota-Nau, now on as full replacement for Moore, set up the next Wallabies try with a powerful burst. The ball came to O'Connor then to Giteau who put through a neat grubber for Mitchell to follow up and score his second try for the night.

Giteau again converted wide out and the Wallabies were out to a commanding 41-7 with just under ten minute remaining.

Pocock edged the Wallabies towards the half century, barging over for a try with four minutes to go. Mortlock converted and the Wallabies were up 48-7. Then Polota-Nau and Horwill combined to put James O'Connor away on a thirty metre sprint, outpacing the cover to score his first try for the Wallabies.

Mortlock converted and the Wallabies had laid down a marker for a daunting season ahead with one of the biggest losses in Barbarians history.

The scorers:

For Australia:
Tries: Horwill, Mitchell 2, Giteau, Moore, Alexander, Pocock, O'Connor
Cons: Giteau 3, Mortlock 2
Pen: Giteau

For Barbarians:
Try: Balshaw
Con: McAllister

Australia: 15 Adam Ashley-Cooper, 14 Lachie Turner, 13 Stirling Mortlock (c), 12 Berrick Barnes, 11 Drew Mitchell, 10 Matt Giteau, 9 Luke Burgess, 8 Richard Brown, 7 George Smith, 6 Matt Hodgson, 5 Nathan Sharpe, 4 James Horwill, 3 Al Baxter, 2 Stephen Moore, 1 Benn Robinson.
Replacements: 16 Tatafu Polota-Nau, 17 Ben Alexander, 18 Dean Mumm, 19 David Pocock, 20 Josh Valentine, 21 Quade Cooper, 22 James O'Connor

Barbarians: 15 Geordan Murphy, 14 Iain Balshaw, 13 Sonny Bill Williams, 12 Seilala Mapusua, 11 Josh Lewsey, 10 Luke McAlister, 9 Chris Whitaker, 8 David Lyons, 7 Phil Waugh (c), 6 Jerry Collins, 5 Paul Tito, 4 Chris Jack, 3 BJ Botha, 2 Sebastien Bruno, 1 Clarke Dermody.
Replacements: 16 Schalk Brits, 17 Greg Somerville, 18 Martin Corry, 19 Serge Betsen, 20 Justin Marshall, 21 Glen Jackson, 22 Ben Blair.

Barbarians hold on at Twickenham

England were taught a harsh first-half lesson in running rugby on Saturday as the Barbarians held on for an 33-26 victory at Twickenham.

It proved the perfect send-off for Martin Corry and Josh Lewsey to English rugby as Martin Johnson's youthful side shipped five tries -- including two for the former red rose wing Iain Balshaw.

The hosts were outclassed for much of the game by a Barbarians team boasting seven former All Blacks and a total of 632 international caps.

Although Johnson should have the likes of Mark Cueto and Ben Kay available for next Saturday's first Test against Argentina, he will have major concerns over the state of England's flimsy defence heading up to Old Trafford.

Corry and Lewsey were key figures as the Barbarians opened a 14-0 lead with tries from Balshaw and Chris Jack before Ben Foden -- one of six players making his first senior England start -- produced a strong finish to score in the corner.

The Barbarians surged clear after the interval with embarrasing ease as Rocky Elsom and Gordon D'Arcy touched down either side of Balshaw's second try.

Jordan Turner-Hall, Tom May and Matt Banahan notched debut tries as the Barbarians wilted and England hit back in the closing stages to avoid a record defeat and regain some pride.

But England were too far behind and in the end they were mere consolation scores on a day reserved for the retiring World Cup-winning duo of Corry and Lewsey.

Both players head for Australia with the Barbarians tonight.  For Corry it was a victorious end to his English career after missing out on Leicester's Guinness Premiership triumph a fortnight ago.

And as Lewsey left the field to a standing ovation he would have been justified to feel as though a point had been proved to Johnson, who made it clear earlier this season that his England career was over.

The Wasps centre created the opening try with a deft kick in behind the England defence and although Balshaw was offside it was not spotted by the officials and he scooped up the loose ball to score.

After an uninspiring start, including a missed penalty from Goode, that sparked England into action.

Armitage sliced through the Barbarians defence and Goode almost creating a try for himself with a neat chip over the top only to be denied by a finger-tip interception by Justin Marshall.

Jamie Noon scorched around the outside of Glenn Jackson but he was felled just short of the line as the Saracens fly-half recovered well to catch him with an excellent tap-tackle.

But in defence England were disorganised and that allowed the Barbarians' more enterprising approach to pay dividends.

Jack galloped over in the corner and Ben Blair converted to open a 14-0 lead after Corry's barnstorming run through the middle.

England responded positively and finally worked a breakthrough after 33 minutes when Danny Care and Chris Robshaw combined to send Foden over in the corner.

The versatile Northampton back, playing today on the right wing, is renowned more for his pace and footwork than his power but he held off two tacklers after latching onto Robshaw's inside pass to score in the corner.

Johnson made one change at the interval with May replacing Noon in midfield but the second half was barely two minutes old when England were ripped apart again.

The rampaging Elsom, who is heading back to Australia after helping Leinster win the Heineken Cup, burst onto a pass from the brilliant Blair and outpaced Nick Easter to score.

Blair missed his first conversion attempt of the afternoon but was soon presented with another touchline opportunity after Balshaw touched down for his second try.

D'Arcy was given the freedom of Twickenham by some more weak England defence and hooker Schalk Britz sent the Biarritz-bound winger ghosted over untouched.

This was now embarrasing and it got worse.  Lewsey danced around both Louis Deacon and Steve Borthwick before supplying the scoring pass to D'Arcy, who sauntered under the posts.

Armitage, whose class at full-back stood out despite the failings of those around him, saved England the ignominy of conceding a 50-metre to a hooker when he executed a brilliant last-ditch tackle to haul Britz into touch just as the South African reached for the line.

England managed to avoid a record defeat with a glut of three tries in quick succession as the Barbarians began to tire in the closing stages.

All three were created by kicks from Goode, who picked out Turner-Hall, May and then Banahan as England closed to within one score with five minutes remaining.

Lewsey was given a rousing farewell as he was replaced Mike Catt in what could also prove to be the veteran fly-half general's final big-match appearance at Twickenham.

The scorers:

For England:
Tries:  Foden, Turner-Hall, May, Banahan
Con:  Goode 3

For Barbarians:
Tries:  Balshaw 2, Jack, Elsom, D'Arcy
Con:  Blair 4

England:  15 Delon Armitage (London Irish), 14 Ben Foden (Northampton), 13 Jamie Noon (Newcastle), 12 Jordan Turner-Hall (Harlequins), 11 Matt Banahan (Bath), 10 Andy Goode (Brive), 9 Danny Care (Harlequins), 8 Nick Easter (Harlequins), 7 Lewis Moody (Leicester), 6 Chris Robshaw (Harlequins), 5 Louis Deacon (Leicester), 4 Steve Borthwick (Saracens, capt), 3 David Wilson (Newcastle), 2 Dylan Harltey (Northampton), 1 Tim Payne (Wasps).
Replacements:  16 Steve Thompson (Brive), 17 Nick Wood (Gloucester), 18 Chris Jones (Sale Sharks), 19 Steffon Armitage (London Irish), 20 James Haskell (Wasps), 21 Paul Hodgson (London Irish), 22 Tom May (Newcastle).

Barbarians:  15 Ben Blair (Cardiff Blues & New Zealand), 14 Doug Howlett (Munster & New Zealand), 13 Josh Lewsey (London Wasps & England), 12 Gordon D'Arcy (Leinster & Ireland), 11 Iain Balshaw (Gloucester Rugby & England), 10 Glen Jackson (Saracens), 9 Justin Marshall (Saracens & New Zealand), 8 Rocky Elsom (Leinster & Australia), 7 Serge Betsen (London Wasps & France), 6 Jerry Collins (Toulon & New Zealand), 5 Chris Jack (Saracens & New Zealand), 4 Martin Corry (Leicester Tigers & England, captain), 3 Greg Somerville (Gloucester Rugby & New Zealand), 2 Schalk Brits (Stormers & South Africa), 1 Clarke Dermody (London Irish & New Zealand).
Replacements:  16 Sebastien Bruno (Sale Sharks & France), 17 B J Botha (Ulster & South Africa), 18 Paul Tito (Cardiff Blues), 19 Phil Waugh (Waratahs & Australia), 20 Chris Whitaker (Leinster & Australia), 21 Mike Catt (London Irish & England), 22 Ratu Nasiganiyavi (Waratahs).

Referee:  Romain Poite (France)
Assistant referees:  Nigel Owens (Wales), Hugh Watkins (Wales)
Television match officials:  Brian Abrahams (England), Nigel Whitehouse (Wales)
Assessor:  Ed Morrison (England)