England host the Barbarians at Twickenham this afternoon looking to gain valuable momentum ahead of a tour to Australia in July.
Eddie Jones is looking ot use his “teabag theory” to rate and review the rookies for the Red Rose. Look out for uncapped full-back Tommy Freeman and hooker Jack Walker at Twickenham. But Jones will also look for significant displays from Joe Cokanasiga, Mark Atkinson and Bevan Rodd to punch their ticket Down Under. England have plenty of firepower off the bench too with a number of emerging prospects, with the annual non-cap international perfect to cast an eye over the future of English rugby and evaluate the touring squad with an eye-catching display likely to secure selection come Monday.
“It’s all about opportunity,” said Jones. “This is a practise game for Australia and an opportunity for some young guys to show us what they’re capable of under almost Test-like conditions. “We’ll see whether they’re ready for the next jump. Last-minute impressions are always important. We always talk about the teabag theory. You get your tea bag out of the packet and you never really know how good it is until you put the hot water into it. And on Sunday some of these young guys are going to be in hot water, so we’ll see how good the tea is.” Follow all the action live from Twickenham below, score updates, analysis and reaction to a big day for English rugby
