EDDIE DOWN AT HEEL
Kruis backheel conversion completes England’s humiliation against 14-man Baa-Baas
GEORGE KRUIS back-heeled a conversion to set the seal on a day of humiliation for Eddie Jones’ England.
The outrageous moment capped an eight-try beating by a scratch side operating at the end of what Kruis admitted had been a “pretty social” week.
Worse still, Jones suffered the heaviest defeat of his tenure against a team which played more than half the game with 14 men following Will Skelton’s red card.
“England didn’t lose the game, they were outclassed in every facet,” said former captain Dylan Hartley. “And you have to think the BaaBaas played with 14 men for most of it. England were playing like they were down a man.”
Coached by Grand Slamwinning France duo Fabien Galthie and Shaun Edwards, the Barbarians honoured their prematch pledge to play in memory of Phil Bennett.
They lined up in a ‘10’ formation in tribute to the Wales wizard and 1973 BaaBaa legend, who died last week, then ran rings around England. So superior were they that Kruis, playing his final game of rugby against his old team, kicked three conversions.
Jones insisted he had no problem with the burly lock’s back-heeled two-pointer, saying: “It’s a festival game and it’s supposed to be fun for the crowd. Now we don’t like to get beaten by 50, but they were here to have fun.”
Bryan Habana, working as a pundit with Hartley, said: “I had to ask Dylan in the second half, who’s the defensive England coach?”
Red Rose great Peter Winterbottom tweeted: “Sadly yet again we were clueless.”
Three months after England finished nowhere in the Six Nations for a second year, Jones was left to explain another setback.
“We approached the game in a particular strategic way,” he said.
“We wanted to try and play a bit differently, extend ourselves, give the young guys an opportunity to show their ability with the ball.
“I’m pleased with the intent of what we tried to do. Obviously not happy with the result, not pleased with how we performed. We were beaten badly at the breakdown. It was a reminder how much we have to do before Australia.”
England fly Down Under this week without George Ford, who damaged ankle ligaments in Saturday’s Premiership Final, and almost certainly minus No.8 Alex Dombrandt too. He missed this game with a knee injury and sees a specialist today.
Jones’ message to England fans was: “We are not going to go to Australia and get beaten by 50 and run the ball from our own 22. But we have a style of play we want to keep developing.”
ENGLAND - Tries: Cokanasiga, May, Smith. Pens: Smith 3.
BARBARIANS - Tries: Penalty, Ollivon, Penaud 2, Couilloud, Carbonel, Spring, Hastoy. Cons: Hastoy 2, Kruis 3.