England overwhelm Baa-Baas
By Graeme Mair
Last Updated: 01/01/70 1:00am
England beat the Barbarians 46-19 in the Gartmore Challenge match at Twickenham.
James Simpson-Daniel scored two tries to help England win the Gartmore Challenge match 46-19 against the Barbarians at Twickenham.
England were given a solid workout by the adventurous Barbarians outfit, who had a wealth of international experience in their side, and were guided by former All Black fly-half Carlos Spencer.
And it took a strong second half display from England to secure a winning start for Andy Robinson's new-look coaching team.
Simpson-Daniel (pictured) scored tries in the 22rd and 39th minute to give England an 18-14 half-time lead, and they went on to dominate after the break with four further tries.
But it was not all plain sailing for England, as the Barbarians competed gamely during a highly competitive opening period and led 19-18 early in the second half.
Two early Olly Barkley penalties settled England's nerves as the hosts enjoyed the majority of possession during the opening stages.
The first try arrived after 21 minutes when Simpson-Daniel's anticipation allowed him to pick off Bruce Reihana's attempt to spread the ball wide, and the Gloucester wing then strolled the length of the field to touch down beneath the posts.
England had looked comfortable during the opening quarter but two tries in five minutes from the Barbarians shifted the momentum of the game.
The first came on 24 minutes when French flanker Olivier Magne scored after expertly turning over possession from Matthew Tait.
Magne's score was quickly followed by a superb try from Reihana that was created by Mark Robinson and Toutai Kefu's willingness to keep the ball alive in the tackle. Their adventure allowed Matt Burke to release Reihana for a run-in down the right touchline.
Former Australian international full-back Burke converted both to put the Barbarians 14-13 in front.
But England reclaimed the lead in the final moments of the half, when Simpson-Daniel crossed for his second try after a flowing move.
Barbarians wing Joe Roff lost the ball in contact, allowing England scrum-half Peter Richards to make the initial break upfield. An exchange of passes between Richards and Tait kept the move alive, with the ball eventually reaching Simpson-Daniel on the right wing, who jinked inside two tacklers to touch down.
Barkley's conversion sent England into the interval with a barely deserved 18-14 advantage.
But after the break England were far more impressive, despite once again falling behind when Burke took advantage of Xavier Rush's quick tap penalty to touch down, and then converted his own score for a 19-18 lead.
That was the high point for the visitors, as soon afterwards Barkley collected Spencer's over-ambitious attempted chip ahead, shrugged off the Northampton fly-half and raced in for the try that finally broke the Barbarians resistance.
England then started to completely dominate and were rewarded with three tries during the closing quarter.
James Forrester crossed after a slick interchange between Tait and Ian Balshaw, while their were late scores for prop David Barnes and wing Delon Armitage as the Barbarians' ageing limbs began to tire.
The final 27-point margin of victory was flattering for England, but the match served its purpose as a positive send-off for Robinson and his team who now head Down Under for two Tests against Australia next month.
