Baa-baas shut down England

Last stop for the 'Fun Bus' and Andrews

The Barbarians finished off their three-match Staffware Challenge tour with a determined 32-12 win over an inexperienced and disappointing England team that never looked like coping with the star-studded Baa-baas. It was a fitting end to the careers of former England prop Jason Leonard and former Springbok Mark Andrews - both of whom have spanned over a decade.

For Leonard it was surely a surreal experience to run out onto the hallowed Twickenham turf to scrum down against England rather than for them. And the most-capped Test player in history took a moment to soak it in as Andrews joined him in the middle as both men said farewell to the game they have served so well.

But any allegiance to to the white strip of England was in the back of the veteran prop's mind as Leonard put his mark on the game early with the 'Fun Bus' rolling over Hugh Vyvyan for the opening try of the match.

The England side was inexperienced and youthful - coach Clive Woodward opted to blood some of the English youngsters in the match - and it showed from the outset.

The rose of England never blossomed during the match, but rather wilted under the pressure of a gritty Baa-baas outfit that was keen to put Wednesday's loss to Wales behind them.

Only centre Nathan Grey and winger Bruce Reihana survived the 42-0 drubbing the club received at the hands of the Welsh, but it was evident early on that England were not going to be allowed to steal the show.

The Baa-baas were looking to make amends for the embarrasing defeat by Wales.

The visitors were on the board again when Ireland centre Brian O'Driscoll got the ball out wide and chipped ahead - England fullback Horak made a mess of it at the back - and Ireland winger Shane Horgan crossed for the Baa-baas' second.

England fly-half Dave Walder kept the hosts in touch with a penalty shortly after and he closed the gap further with another, but the Baa-baas were never in danger of relinquishing their lead.

Reihana, who came in for some criticism following the Wales clash, put his side further in front when he picked up an inside-pass from Humphreys to score.

Walder struck two more penalties, but Humphreys put over one of his own to take the Baa-baas into the break with a 20-12 lead.

The second-half was much the same - England never looked willing to attack, while the Baa-baas were determined to run everything - it did not make for pretty viewing as the game began to lose any form of structure.

Baa-baas flanker Bob Skinstad - a second-half replacement - was issued a yellow card for infringing at the breakdown and finally the English side began to show some thoughts of running at their opponents.

But it meant little as the experience of the visitors began to show - pressuring their younger counterparts into silly errors - although they seldom needed to. The England team were quite capable of doing it themselves!

The hosts failed to take advantage of the extra man and it was in fact Skinstad who emerged the hero a minute after returning to the field with the former Bok skipper snatching a loose English pass to score underneath the posts.

Humphreys converted and Leonard made his exit to rapturous applause from the Twickenham faithful - Sir Clive included - as the likeable Harlequins veteran brought the curtain down on his days at Twickenham.

Ireland lock Malcolm O'Kelly finally ended the English challenge not long after when he barged over the try-line following a lineout. Andrews then brought an end to his career with slightly less aplomb than Leonard - stepping up for the conversion.

The big man sent the ball bouncing along the ground well off the mark - but it was all in good spirits - as the game ended with the the Baa-baas convincing winners.

Woodward looked unimpressed with his charges' performance and it is clear that there will be plenty of work to do in the future if England is to maintain their recent form as world-beaters.

Man of the match: The official winner was Jason Leonard, although he admitted that it could have "been rigged", but a number of Baa-baas players put their hands up. Wallaby Owen Finegan was physical and hard-working, Nathan Grey was tireless and David Humphreys was also impressive. But Kiwi scrum-half Mark Robinson put in another massive display at the back of the scrum to clinch the award.

Moment of the match: The massive hit on Mark Andrews by flanker Dan Hyde must have brought a smile to a number of English faces, but when Leonard walked through the stands to collect his medal it was immediately obvious exactly how much he has meant to the English game over the course of his career. The fans young and old alike flooded the England legend with well-wishes and thanks - a truly memorable moment indeed.

Villian of the match: No cause to issue this award.

The scorers:

For The Barbarians:
Tries: Leonard, Reihana, Horgan, Skinstad, O'Kelly
Cons: Humphreys 2
Pen: Humphreys

For England:
Pens: Walder 4