England 26 Barbarians 33: Heineken Cup winners Rocky Elsom and Gordon D'Arcy both scored tries as the Baa-Baas overcame England at Twickenham.
England’s second-half fightback proved in vain after the Barbarians ran in five tries to triumph in today’s non-cap international.
Ben Foden, Jordan Turner-Hall, Tom May and Matt Banahan crossed, but had the Barbarians not run out of steam in the final quarter the victory would have been far more emphatic.
It was also a fitting way for World Cup winners Martin Corry and Josh Lewsey to bid farewell to Twickenham in their penultimate appearances before retiring.
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 Elsom and 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.
