England will be looking to shake off some of the cobwebs before they depart on their tour of South Africa when they take on the Barbarians on Sunday the 27th of May.
Rugby fans will get their first taste of international rugby action this Sunday with Eddie Jones’ England taking on Pat Lam’s star-studded Barbarians side at Twickenham. The hosts will be without the likes of Sam Simmonds, Owen Farell, Mako Vunipoala and Maro Itoje as the Saracens and Exeter stars will be involved in the Aviva Premiership final a day prior to the Barbarians fixture.
England v Barbarians
Sunday 27 May
Twickenham
15:50
To Win (80 Mins)
England 4/10
Draw 25/1
Barbarians 11/10
Handicap
England (-9.5) 9/10
Barbarians (+9.5) 9/10
England
This may be a one-off friendly fixture against a representative side but Eddie Jones will still be feeling the pressure. The England mentor has come in for a lot of stick from the British media after his side surrendered their Six Nations crown to the Irish just a few months ago.
It’s rather absurd that the Australian coach finds himself being questioned by English rugby journos as he has really turned things around since taking over from Stewart Lancaster at the close of 2015. Their main gripe with Jones is that they feel he implements a very conservative brand of rugby and is reluctant to try anything new.
Jones may well be more flexible this weekend as this is a Barbarians game and the crowd will expect to be entertained. The early team news out of the England camp also points to a more expansive game being implemented with recalled veteran Danny Cipriani set to start at fullback and Piers Francais set to get the starting pivot role.
Barbarians
Pat Lam has assembled a mightily impressive squad for this one that includes former All Blacks Charles Pitau, Victor Vito and Luke McAlister. There’s also a place for former England international Chris Ashton while Toulon’s Fijian duo of Semi Radradra and Josua Tuisova have also cracked the nod.
The Baa Baas will be able to field a devastating backline this weekend that will be spearheaded by skipper Bundee Akee. The Irish international has enjoyed a fantastic season and will relish going up against a novice English centre pairing.
While the representative side may struggle at the setpiece due to their limited training period, they have a forward pack that is frighteningly skilful with the aforementioned Vito and Tatafu Polota-Nau sure to make a few barnstorming runs.
Squads
England (*Training Squad)
Backs: Mike Brown (Harlequins), Danny Cipriani (Wasps), Joe Cokanasiga (London Irish), Elliot Daly (Wasps), Jonny May (Leicester Tigers), Denny Solomona (Sale Sharks), Jason Woodward (Gloucester Rugby), George Ford (Leicester Tigers), Piers Francis (Northampton Saints), Ollie Lawrence (Worcester Warriors), Cameron Redpath (Sale Sharks), Dan Robson (Wasps), Marcus Smith (Harlequins), Ben Te’o (Worcester Warriors), Henry Trinder (Gloucester Rugby), Ben Youngs (Leicester Tigers)
Forwards: Josh Beaumont (Sale Sharks), Tom Curry (Sale Sharks), Tom Ellis (Bath Rugby), Teimana Harrison (Northampton Saints), Nathan Hughes (Wasps), Joe Launchbury (Wasps), Zach Mercer (Bath Rugby), Josh McNally (London Irish), Chris Robshaw (Harlequins), Jono Ross (Sale Sharks), Elliott Stooke (Bath Rugby) and Mark Wilson (Newcastle), Ellis Genge (Leicester Tigers), Paul Hill (Northampton Saints), Joe Marler (Harlequins), George McGuigan (Leicester Tigers), Nick Schonert (Worcester Warriors), Kyle Sinckler (Harlequins), Jack Singleton (Worcester Warriors)
Barbarians
Backs: Niyi Adeolokun (Connacht & Ireland), Bundee Aki (Connacht & Ireland), Chris Ashton (Toulon & England), Greig Laidlaw (Clermont & Scotland), Luke McAlister (Toulon & New Zealand), AJ McGinty (Sale Sharks & USA), Charles Piutau (Ulster & New Zealand), Semi Radradra (Toulon), Josua Tuisova (Toulon & Fiji), Rhodri Williams (Dragons & Wales)
Forwards: John Afoa (Gloucester & New Zealand), Ultan Dillane (Connacht & Ireland), Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe (Toulon & Argentina), Ramiro Herrera (Stade Francais & Argentina), Benjamin Kayser (Clermont & France), Tatafu Polota-Nau (Leicester & Australia), Sateki Timani (Clermont & Australia), Justin Tipuric (Ospreys & Wales), Loni Uhila (Clermont), Flip van der Merwe (Clermont & South Africa), Victor Vito (La Rochelle & New Zealand)
Verdict: Barbarians (+9) 9/10
This is a solid looking Baa Baas side that should be more than competitive against an English outfit missing a host of star players.
