There was only ever going to be one loser from Baa-Baas farce

MY comments on the Barbarians this week caused a bit of a storm and its always great to get the feedback but I’m afraid I’m not backing down. I will, however, try to paraphrase my thinking a little better.

Wrong match, wrong team, wrong time. The Barbarians are great — I get totally what they stand for and proudly wore their colours — and who wouldn’t want to watch a President’s XV or a Premiership All-stars XV tackle them at Twickenham. Both the teams could go out on the lash together and organise a joint fancy dress party in the week if they want. Not my cup of tea but up to them.

Do not think for one minute every Barbarian player liked the week of partying and mention of drink at every press conference. It takes two to party but whatever the result there was only going to be one loser — England.

They do not need to be playing the Barbarians, in party mode, a couple of weeks before they play South Africa in an important three-match series. Lose that and England will be waist deep in manure. For me it was unacceptable that the likes of George Ford, Henry Trinder, Mike Brown, Piers Francis, Chirs Robshaw, Danny Cipriani and Ellis Genge to name just a few were playing for their Test careers in such an atmosphere.

This is their lives and professions. You will notice they weren’t laughing it all off after the match on Sunday. They were gutted and crestfallen. Ford was distraught. They had been put in an impossible position by people who have never coached or played at this level.

Finally — and this is what actually made me decide to make my feelings public — was that it was totally unacceptable that England were expected to stand back and shrug their shoulders when the Barbarians went through their childish and rather tedious try celebrations.

Sorry, Barbarians or not, that should not be taking place against an England team at Twickenham. I would like to have seen the whole team walk over and break that up whatever the consequences. England were getting pushed around on and off the pitch and I didn’t like it. If they allow themselves to be pushed around and bullied in South Africa, they will have no chance.