Neal Collins rugby
The Barbarians, South Africa’s final foe on their topsy-turvey European tour, have wisely opted to pick just two Englishmen for the final showdown at Cardiff’s Millennium stadium on Sunday.
Barbarians? Hardly. Arnold Schwarzenegger won’t be there and several of the team are from civilised society. It’s just the name given to a hastily thrown together bunch of internationals picked to wave goodbye to the winter tourists every year. Traditionally the Barbarians game is a run-the-ball-feast of rugby used to send rugby-playing visitors off with a flourish.
But this year’s event could just have a bit of an edge after the three Tests in Britain and Ireland.
The last game in particular, against England, appears to have inflamed passions on both sides although surprisingly independent citing officer Russell Howells decided on Monday not to take any further action after examining England’s 25-17 win after the hosts had asked him to take a squint at this particular video nasty.
England coach Clive Woodward said: “It was brutal, one hell of a physi-cal game, with quite a few incidents.” The Twickenham stitch-count remains as debatable as the United States presidential vote, and it appears we shall never know which country sustained the deepest wounds.
All that can be said with any certainty is that Neil Back and Richard Hill, the England flankers, needed 31 stitches between them, while Jonny Wilkinson, Japie Mulder and Joost Van Der Westhuizen all needed treatment too.
For the Boks, this becomes quite an important match to win. Coach Harry Viljoen, coming to the end of his first tour in charge of the Springboks, might yet escape with his dignity intact.
The wettest winter on record promises to cause further problems on Sunday but many of the BaaBaas are similarly unaccustomed to playing under water. The Antipodean contingent consists of some real stars All Black Christian Cullen is probably the pick of them, though he didn’t perform too well in New Zealand’s parting defeat against France in Marseille two weeks ago.
The Boks may even face a South African in hooker Naka Drotske but only captain Lawrence Dallaglio and Iain Balshaw will fly the flag for England and fullback Balshaw was dropped for last Saturday’s game.
Coached by Aussie Bob Dwyer and Kiwi John Hart, the Barbarians have certainly got the brains behind the brawn but perhaps the most worrying name among the 22 for the Boks is that of the ginger monster from Wales Neil “The Boot” Jenkins. The Pontypridd kicker is capable of punishing any side.
And even if he doesn’t play, Australian kicker Matt Burke is also included.Viljoen can only hope that Dwyer and Hart take a leaf from his coaching manual and insist that all penalties are run rather than kicked on Sunday.
Traditionally, that’s the way the Barbarians should play it.
The 22-man Barbarians squad: Backs: C Latham (Aus), C Cullen (Nzl), M Burke (Aus), I Balshaw (Eng), B O’Driscoll (Irl), D Herbert (Aus), N Jenkins (Wal), C Spencer (Nzl), A Pichot (Arg), B Kelleher (Nzl); Forwards: G Somerville (Nzl), R Harry (Aus), M Reggiardo (Arg), N Drotske (SA), M Hammett (Nzl), D Giffin (Aus), N Maxwell (Nzl), M O’Kelly (Irl), J Williams (Aus), L Dallaglio (Eng), A Ward (Irl), R Cribb (Nzl). Coaches: B Dwyer (Aus), J Hart (Nzl)