Rugby Union: Irish contingent excel in Baa-Baas' try romp: Feast of tries at Franklin's Gardens

East Midlands. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25

Barbarians . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55

TRYING times these and tryless ones too, from England's point of view. At Franklin's Gardens, though, caught in the familiar poverty trap between international and league Saturdays, yesterday's annual Mobbs Memorial match managed to come up with 13 tries.

Considering the Barbarians had to change almost half of their original side, the match in memory of Edgar Mobbs, the Northampton and England captain who died at Passchendaele in the First World War, moved along merrily thanks to the support of hard-pressed players.

The Baa-Baas, nine of them internationals, relied heavily on a strong Irish contingent of six, who shared four of the team's nine tries. The back row, meanwhile, was bolstered by the presence of John Hall and Eric Eves, the respective captains of Bath and Bristol.

Next year, though, things could be a little less congested without a league programme to follow the fixture. As for the present, Ed Morrison was wired for sound as part of an experiment to listen into refereeing decisions. All one can say was that Morrison was pretty breathless at times, in keeping with the free- running nature of the affair.

In the process pounds 2,700 was raised for youth rugby in this country, thanks to the donation of pounds 300 for each of the Barbarians' tries. Scottish Amicable, come to think of it, might have chosen to sponsor England in similar fashion. But then again, would they ever get a mention?

East Midlands: Tries Pask, Glanvill, MacNaughton, Alston; Conversion Tubb; Penalty Tubb. Barbarians: Tries Ridge, Field 2, Eves 2, Woods, Dods, Stark 2; Conversions Dods 5.

EAST MIDLANDS: C Glanvill (Bedford); S Webster, F Packman, R MacNaughton, C Moir; S Tubb (all Northampton), B Gabriel; L Mansell (both Bedford), T Metson (Peterborough), C Allen (Northampton), D Newman (Kettering, capt), J Phillips (Northampton), P Alston (Bedford), M Steffert, P Pask (both Northampton). Replacement: M Rogers (Kettering) for Packman, 62.

BARBARIANS: M Dodds (Gala); D Stark (Boroughmuir), M Field (Malone), M Ridge, N Woods (both Blackrock); C Chalmers (Melrose, capt), A Rolland (Blackrock); G Rowntree (Leicester), W Mulcahy (Skerries), P Burnell (London Scottish), A MacDonald (Heriot's FP), M Poole (Leicester), J Hall (Bath), B Robinson (Ballymena), D Eves (Bristol). Replacement: R Moon (Moseley) for Woods, 58.

Referee: E Morrison (Bristol).

(Photograph omitted)