Despite the trials and tribulations of putting together a world class "team" to take on the world champions, the Barbarians produced a vintage performance to give Jason Robinson a memorable Twickenham finale. The great sadness is that England's premier league did not enter into the spirit of the occasion.
"It was absolutely brilliant," Robinson said. "We only had four days of preparation and we put in a massive effort. This is a special place and a special group of guys." It was a notable achievement by a scratch squad, albeit against a Springbok team that contained only five players who featured in their World Cup final triumph over England in Paris, and it raised a number of issues.
In the professional age the Baa-Baas were thought by many to be a thing of the past. England's clubs, who have finally reached agreement with the RFU after years of civil unrest, decided not to release anybody to the invitation side on the grounds that they were needed to appear in the weekend's EDF Energy Cup.
Andrew Sheridan, who was contracted to play in this showpiece, was denied the opportunity to enjoy a red letter day with Robinson, his former Sale and England teammate. Yet when Sale played Leicester on Friday evening Sheridan was rested. Furthermore, Brent Cockbain, the lock forward who has left the Ospreys in Wales to join Sale, appeared for the Baa-Baas.
Above all, though, Robinson, at the age of 33, with 51 England caps to his name, a World Cup winner and a successful British Lion to boot, deserved more, whatever his differences with Sale.
Sheridan's enforced absence left the Barbarians with one Premiership player and Mark Regan, the captain, played a blinder on and off the pitch. His club Bristol warned him that if the played he'd face a fine. Fine, he said, but he was fulfilling an obligation. In any case, wearing his Bristol socks and leading a star-studded side to a rare victory over South Africa can only put his club in a good light.
"Regan quickly built a rapport with the players," a Baa-Baas spokesman said. "It was like turning the clock back 20 years. Club owners can say what they like but the players regarded the whole occasion as a breath of fresh air. To a man they said they'd like to play for us again."
The Barbarians had a point to make and they did so in some style, scoring three tries to one against a Springbok squad that was nevertheless determined to send their coach Jake White into a sabbatical on a winning note. They had played 18 Tests in a season and a half and lost only three. As for the Lions, who tour South Africa in 2009, who needs months of preparation? Four days in the West End of London might do the trick.
Perhaps the best thing about the Barbarians' third ever victory over South Africa is that there was nothing artificial about it. "That was the fifth time I've played the Boks in the last year and the only time I've won," Regan said. He doesn't deserve censure, he deserves a pat on the back.
Barbarians: J Robinson (England); J Rokocoko (Blues & New Zealand), C Smith (Hurricanes & New Zealand), M Nonu (Hurricanes & New Zealand), I Neivua (Fiji Warriors & Fiji); M Giteau (Western Force & Australia), J Marshall (Ospreys & New Zealand); F Pucciarello (Munster & Italy), M Regan (Bristol & England, capt), S Ma'afu (ACT Brumbies), B Cockbain (Wales), J Harrison (Ulster & Australia), R Elsom (NSW Waratahs & Australia), M Williams (Cardiff Blues & Wales), J Collins (Hurricanes & New Zealand). Replacements: S Brits (Stormers) for Regan, 50; T Flavell (Auckland Blues), for Cockbain, 50; J Moller (Stormers) for Ma'afu, 50; T Shanklin (Cardiff Blues & Wales), for Smith, 57; B Cohen (England), for Nonu, 62; M Owen (Dragons, Wales) for Harrison, 62; P Grant (Stormers, South Africa) for Robinson, 67.
South Africa: R Pienaar; A Ndungane, J Fourie, F Steyn , B Habana; A Pretorius, R Januarie; CJ van der Linde, B du Plessis, J du Plessis, J Ackermann, J Muller (capt), B Pieterse, J Smith, R Kankowski.
Replacements: W Olivier for Pretorius, 32; , C Jantjes for Januarie, 43; H Van Der Merwe for J du Plessis, 42; A van den Berg for Ackerman, 53; H Lobberts for Pieterse, 65; T Liebenberg for B du Plessis, 70.
Referee: C Berdos (France).
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