If today’s afternoon race is like yesterday, it will be a ride on white knuckles. While Leicester’s 15-12 win over the Saracens was not exactly wet rugby, Freddie Burns’ goal 30 seconds before the end led to a thrilling end to the Premiership season. With Leicester players undoubtedly celebrating even Sarris recovering and licking their wounds, Eddie Jones does not have a significant number of his regular starting line-up today. Therefore, his England XV is a mix of young, marginal players and familiar faces returning from injury. The Barbarians, meanwhile, have named a team overwhelmingly French-speaking, which is not surprising given that the team has been formed by France coach Fabien Galli. Speaking exclusively to the Telegraph Sport, Galthie admitted that “our team is essentially a France Development XV”. Explaining the rationale behind his team selection, Galthie said: “There are players who will become international, players who are already and some who are not yet in [France] beginning XV. “Damian Penaud is already the first choice for us, but everyone else is evolving. Everyone could join the French team one day.” Jones also wanted to stress that his team is experimental, even though some of the players will be hoping to think about England’s tour of Australia next month. “This is a young team, they have prepared very well and the last camps have worked hard to unite as a team … it is a great opportunity to play in this England XV team and show what they can do,” he said. “We look forward to playing against an unusual team of French Barbarians – which you usually only get when you play with the French Barbarians. “We will use it as an opportunity to develop combinations and evaluate the players for the tour in Australia. “We will do our best and we will have a great rugby game for all Twickenham fans.”
