World Cup-winning England coach Clive Woodward says the annual match against the Barbarians serves no purpose.
The invitational side hammered a second-string England team 63-45 at Twickenham on Saturday in an end-to-end game often played at a frenetic pace.
However, Woodward, writing for the Daily Mail, says the game should be replaced by a fixture against a tier-two nation such as Georgia.
‘Many rugby fans enjoyed some of the Barbarians’ spectacular tries at Twickenham but frankly I was not one of them,’ Woodward wrote.
‘I have felt for some time that this annual fixture serves no purpose for England in an increasingly crowded calendar and I am now certain it should be scrapped.
‘This Barbarians game came at a really bad time for England and lessons should be learned. The England guys got a slating in the media afterwards but I genuinely felt sorry for them and would attribute absolutely zero importance to their performances on the day in terms of England selection.
‘This slot should be used to promote and reward unions such as Georgia and the Pacific Islands and I am confident the English public would equally support such games.
‘It’s a lose-lose for England. They can’t be party poopers, they are supposed to join the “fun” and suddenly they are involved in a madcap game of glorified sevens none of them wants.’
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