Considering that Eddie Jones has admitted to feeling “filthy” for more than a month after England’s defeat by Ireland, this stilted if spirited victory can at least be viewed as the start of the cleansing process.
It was not the grand unveiling to the second phase of his master plan – eight uncapped starters and a feisty Barbarians side made sure it was never going to be – but winning is an addictive habit for Jones and he will care little that there was barely a sparkle in an exhibition match that tends to offer the promise of fireworks.
He will be pleased, too, with how the 18-year-old Tom Curry acquitted himself, even if the man of the match award was a touch generous, after coming on during the first half; less so that Sam Underhill followed Alex Lozowski off with a shoulder injury. Other plus points for Jones include Nathan Earle, lively on the wing as and when he saw the ball, and the abrasive edge that Ellis Genge brings up front. But the overriding positive for England was how a side so inexperienced went about their tasks with such professionalism.
There can be no doubting it was not particularly pretty, but it was effective and though it came only 24 hours after a sun-drenched Twickenham bore witness to the most thrilling Premiership final in recent memory, the Lord Mayor had long since packed up and gone home. England’s pragmatism went against the grain of the Barbarians’ tradition and while the amateur ideals of the invitational side are increasingly an anachronism, the relish with which Jones’s side stuck to their task was not exactly what the 51,636-strong crowd was hoping for.
Perhaps it should not be surprising. England had a squad with 277 caps between them but 246 of those belong to five players. The Barbarians by contrast had 812 and even two members of their side – Alex Goode and Steffon Armitage – had more England caps than 17 of their opponents combined.
So it was left to George Ford, the most accomplished of England’s senior quintet on the day, to steer his side home. As was the case in this end-of-season fixture last year, his goalkicking provoked boos from the crowd but whereas it was his inaccuracy that was the problem then, the issue here was the pragmatic choice to go for goal.
While Ford, co-captain with Chris Robshaw, stood out with his authority, it was inevitably the eight uncapped starters that came under the microscope. Jones is mining for gold this summer, sifting through a sizeable group of youngsters and hoping to hit the jackpot with one or two.
Catching the coach’s eye however, is far harder when seeing so little of the ball – after 12 minutes the Barbarians had enjoyed 88% of possession – but Earle managed to shine the brightest. He is tall, quick, took his first-half try well and might have had a hat-trick had his handling not let him down. Earle began the season in New Zealand, on loan at Canterbury, but he is likely to finish it with a first cap in Argentina. He made way eight minutes before the end to rapturous applause and he fits the mould of what Jones is looking for.
In a word, that is size and what he would not give for a player who blends explosive power, pace and dainty footwork like the Barbarians’ Timoci Nagusa – a Fijian flyer just shy of 16 stone. Linking well with Goode, Nagusa made a fool of Robshaw as he took the long way round down the right-hand touchline. It brought the crowd to their feet but subsequent moments like that were all too few.
When Adam Ashley-Cooper finished off a well-worked try in the left-hand corner, the spectators on that side of the pitch were far more interested in a marriage proposal in front of them. Cue the inevitable Mexican waves, the renditions of Swing Low, Sweet Chariot and the odd faint echo of the Tomahawk Chop – clearly a few Exeter fans had decided to make a weekend of it.
It is that period however, between Ashley-Cooper’s try and the decisive score from Nick Isiekwe that will please Jones and his coaches most. England had luck on their side – Jeremy Thrush had a try disallowed – but they did not wilt in the face of some sustained pressure. Joe Tekori, off the bench by this stage, was intent on winding up Curry and Genge – the former can expect plenty of that in the coming months considering his age – but England’s resilience ensured that when Isieke touched down, the contest was over.
After Tekori had splashed over for the Baa-Baas there was time still for Ford to release Danny Care to score in the corner and fling the ball into the crowd. The recipient will go home happy, but the same cannot be said for everyone.
