RUGBY England 12 Barbarians 32: Ireland's Shane Horgan, Brian O'Driscoll, David Humphreys and Malcolm O'Kelly shone as the Barbarians swept aside Clive Woodward's England development side at Twickenham yesterday.
Horgan added an eighth-minute try to the two he grabbed for the Baa-Baas last week against Scotland and looked dangerous every time he got ball in hand.
Humphreys linked well from outhalf and contributed a penalty and two conversions.
O'Driscoll was his usual bag of tricks, even if he failed to get on the scoreboard, and lock O'Kelly polished off a towering lineout performance with a late try.
England fielded only Mark Regan of the squad that won the World Cup last November as Woodward found his selection options drastically reduced by the weekend's Zurich Premiership finals and next month's tour Down Under.
The England boss had hoped the game would indicate which players on the fringes of international recognition could eventually fills the shoes of Lawrence Dallaglio and co but he will have been left bitterly disappointed.
Facing a Barbarians side that numbered 688 caps in its starting line-up, England found themselves hopelessly outclassed by their opponents' invention and superiority in the forward exchanges.
They showed a marked improvement in the third quarter when they finally began to create gaps but only the kicking of Dave Walder kept them in touch, the Newcastle outhalf booting four penalties.
The Barbarians scored two tries in the opening 10 minutes through Jason Leonard and Horgan as they tore into their inexperienced opponents from the start.
Leonard's try was particularly well received by the near sell-out crowd as the Test centurion and man of the match made his Twickenham farewell against the team he had served with such distinction for over a decade.
The Harlequins prop - who has finished his career as the world's most capped player - received an almighty cheer when he took to the pitch a minute before his team-mates and was given a standing ovation on his exit.
Bruce Reihana, Bobby Skinstad and O'Kelly completed the Barbarians' try count, with Skinstad's touchdown arriving in a second half short on entertainment as the weather took a toll.
It was different early on, however, as the Barbarians made a dream start. With just three minutes on the clock former All Black scrumhalf Mark Robinson did the damage, jinking in and out before moving within a couple of yards of the line, where Leonard was on hand to finish the move off. David Humphreys converted.
Horgan then capitalised on a blunder by Michael Horak and Nick Walshe to extend the lead - as the England duo tried to clear an O'Driscoll kick, the ball popped clear and the Triple Crown winner touched down.
Two Dave Walder penalties narrowed the gap as England built some momentum but their ascendancy was only brief as Reihana crossed in the 25th minute.
Horgan did the damage with a rampaging charge down the left wing and possession was quickly recycled to Humphreys, whose perfectly timed inside pass found Reihana at full tilt.
Only Walder's boot was keeping England in touch, with two more penalties, as the Barbarians - playing the best rugby by some margin - were made to pay for their indiscipline.
But they had the last word in an entertaining half as Humphreys bisected the posts with a long-range penalty.
A bone-crunching tackle by Reihana on skipper Hugh Vyvyan halted one promising move from England and moments later the Barbarians were down to 14 men after substitute Skinstad - who had just come on - was sin-binned for slowing the ball down.
Woodward's half-time team talk had obviously done the trick as England attacked their opponents with far greater gusto after the interval, although they were still struggling in the lineout.
A dropped pass from Andy Hazell cost them a certain try in the corner with the Barbarians defence overstretched.
And former Springbok skipper Skinstad - who had returned to the pitch - rubbed salt into the wound by intercepting a loose pass from Walder and strolling home under the posts, Humphreys converting.
Leonard was cheered from the pitch in the 67th minute but the crowd had little else to celebrate as in terms of entertainment the match had disintegrated.
The last try epitomised the nature of the final 20 minutes as O'Kelly peeled off the back of a maul and dived over, completing a miserable afternoon for Woodward's young guns.
SCORERS: England - Pens: Walder 4; Barbarians - Tries: Leonard, Horgan, Reihana, Skinstad, O'Kelly. Cons: Humphreys 2. Pens: Humphreys.
ENGLAND: M Horak; P Sackey, J Noon, K Sorrell, M Garvey; D Walder, N Walshe; M Worsley, M Regan, R Morris, M Cornwell, A Brown, D Hyde, A Hazell, H Vyvyan. Replacements: D Scarbrough for Sackey (49), J Dawson for Morris (40), P Buxton for Hazell (72).
BARBARIANS: T Castaignede; S Horgan, B O'Driscoll, N Grey, B Reihana; D Humphreys, M Robinson; J Leonard, A Oliver, C Visagie, M O'Kelly, M Andrews, O Finegan, A Vos, T Randell.Replacements: M Burke for Castaignede (40), D Traille for Horgan (74), N de Kock for Robinson (67), G Feek for Leonard (67), M Sexton for Oliver (71), O Magne for Vos (51), B Skinstad for Randell (40).
Referee: N Whitehouse (WRFU).
