England outplayed the Barbarians - Rugby News Update
English winger, Chris Ashton, shines in the spotlight as the side comfortably cruised to victory over the mighty Barbarians on the weekend.
Northampton Saints' star, Ashton, bagged an unbelievable hat-trick in the non-cap game at Twickenham stadium.
England ran eight tries in all on Sunday, with three by Ashton, while Dylan Hartley, Christian Wade and Richard Wigglesworth put their name on the scoreboard before the replacement, Jonathan Joseph, came on the field and scored twice in an impressive cameo.
England boss Stuart Lancaster said the he was pleased with Ashton’s current form.
“I am pleased for Chris that he has got the three tries - his work rate off the ball is tremendous,” said Lancaster.
The 25-year-old Ashton rediscovered his scoring ability as he scored two tries in the first 40 minutes, with help from Dylan Hartley, the host England secured a 22-7 half-time lead.
The ever so reliable Owen Farrell had given England an early lead, but missed a chance to double on that when he messed up an easy kick, which would have put England in a commanding position.
Ashton took a wonderfully disguised pass from team-mate Lee Dickson to go through the defenses of the Barbarians untouched.
The Barbarians came back when former England full-back, Iain Balshaw, and the experienced ex-All Blacks' star, Muliaina, demonstrated that they still have fine footwork and modest speed as they made the line in heavy traffic.
The man who scored the winning points in the World Cup for the All Blacks, Stephen Donald, added to the scoreboard for the Barbarians, and with the first forty minutes almost over, it looked like England would not be in the lead.
Then hooker Hartley, who was back in action after eight weeks, had other ideas, as he broke through to create another try for the inform Ashton.
After the interval, the star of the game, Ashton, completed his hat-trick and Farrell, added to the scoreboard after completing a couple of conversions with just over thirty minutes left.
Muliaina came up with fine work, after fellow team-mate Casey Laulala collected a stunning offload to score his second.
The hosts emptied the bench to give the youngsters their debut and first real experience of what it is like on the biggest stage of rugby. The full-time score was 57-26 in favor of the England team.
England scored eight tries in the game, and produced a thrilling display of high intensity, attacking rugby.
Lancaster’s side showcased a performance which made them look like they were in good shape for their tour to South Africa.
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