Baa- Baas back in time to 1970s to instil the club’s attacking ethos into current squad

The Barbarians will turn back the clock on and off the pitch in their bid to topple England at Twickenham on Sunday.

A replay of Gareth Edwards’ famous try scored against New Zealand in 1973 was shown to Pat Lam’ s squad yesterday to serve as a reminder of the Barbarians’ attacking ethos. And to celebrate the try viewed as the greatest of all time, players will attend dinner tonight in 1970s fancy dress.

“We’ve just shown the 1973 try again. That try inspired me as a player and as a coach – you see expression, no fear and culture,” Lam said.

“And when I say culture people think about Phil Bennett doing the sidestep, the pass to John Dawes and then Derek Quinnell.

“But if you freeze frame, you can see the number of black and white jerseys that got back thereto make the opportunity happen. We’ll honour that team by going out one night in 70s gear.

“We’ ve been looking to recruit players who can play the Barbarians way.

“The challenge now is to get everyone on the same page so they can express the gifts and talents they have. We have to accelerate that in five days. That’ s the challenge, but that’ s what the Barbarians are all about. A lot of time is spent getting to know each other really well.”

Among the players lining up against Eddie Jones’ men in the non- cap international is former England wing Chris Ashton, whose season at Toulon is now over.

“We’ve all seen what Ashton has done with Toulon. He’s a phenomenal athlete,” Lam said.

“He couldn’ t wait to be involved. He’ ll be a great asset for us and he’s said that he wants to honour the Barbarians’ traditions.”