The iconic Barbarians are back at the Twickenham Stoop this Saturday, for an exciting match-up against Premiership entertainers Harlequins. This is expected to be a high-scoring contest, with numerous international talents set to run out in the famous black and white stripes.
There is a strong Australian and Super Rugby contingency in the Barbarians set-up, made up of players who missed out on the trip to France for the 2023 Rugby World Cup. This match will be a testing pre-season challenge for Quins, with Head Coach Tabai Matson selecting a 25-man squad for this exhibition contest.
The last meeting between the two sides racked up an enormous 72-28 victory for Harlequins. The high-scoring end-to-end match featured a phenomenal solo try from Joe Marler, and the charismatic England prop then slotted a drop goal to boot.
HARLEQUINS TEAM TO FACE BARBARIANS
Club captain Stephan Lewies leads the side from the second row, and Wales international Jarrod Evans prepares to make his debut in the famous quarters. In the forwards, Academy hooker Nathan Jibulu earns a start alongside props Fix Baxter and Will Collier. New arrival Joe Launchbury locks down with Lewies, as Luke Wallace returns at blindside, with Will Evans and England international Alex Dombrandt completing the back row.
In the backs, Will Porter makes his second appearance, joining Jarrod Evans in the halves. Last week’s Player of the Match Luke Northmore resumes at inside centre, with Will Joseph earning his third consecutive start. The back three features a return for Oscar Beard and Tyrone Green, with Nick David named at fullback.
Director of Rugby Billy Millard said: “It’s always exciting to face the Barbarians at home. Last year was a great occasion and we’re looking forward to another good afternoon of rugby. We’ve trained hard this week, and the squad are ready to put in a strong performance. We were pleased with the win over Saracens but there’s parts of our game that we need to improve.”
Amongst the Impact Players, there’s returns for former London Irish prop Lovejoy Chawatama, scrum-half Max Green, and wing Cassius Cleaves.
Harlequins Starting XV: 1. Fin Baxter 2. Nathan Jibulu 3. Will Collier 4. Joe Launchbury 5. Stephan Lewies (Captain) 6. Luke Wallace 7. Will Evans 8. Alex Dombrandt 9. Will Porter 10. Jarrod Evans 11. Oscar Beard 12. Luke Northmore 13. Will Joseph 14. Tyrone Green 15. Nick David
Replacements: 16. Sam Riley 17. Jordan Els 18. Lovejoy Chawatama 19. Irne Herbst 20. George Hammond 21. James Chisholm 22. Max Green 23. Connor Slevin 24. Lennox Anyanwu 25. Cassius Cleaves
BARBARIANS TEAM TO FACE HARLEQUINS
The Barbarians selectors have kept the main bulk of the squad, for their third match this season. The Baa-Baas have already taken on Munster (lost 52-35) and Gloucester Rugby (lost 35-19), and are eyeing up a first win of their 2023/24 campaign. These matches have acted as pre-season friendlies for their opponents, with the upcoming clash against Quins being no different.
The Barbarians will want to test the metal of the promising Quins stars, who are eager to make a name for themselves ahead of the 2023/24 Gallagher Premiership campaign. The Baa-Baas squad has a predominantly Australian foundation, with numerous big-name talents selected after being overlooked by Eddie Jones for the Wallabies side. There are also Japanease internationals, and one former Scotland star amongst the heavily Aussie-influenced side.
Amongst the Barbarians match-day 23, there are 11 capped Wallabies, and a further three Australia ‘A’ representatives. The Australian Super Rugby clubs will be represented in full-force at the Stoop, with six Brumbies, five Waratahs, four Queensland Reds and two Melbourne Rebels stars in the squad. The only side that are not represented is the Western Force, with the remaining players coming from the Japan Top League or Major League Rugby in the United States.
Barbarians Starting XV: 1. Tom Lambert (NSW Waratahs / Australia ‘A’) 2. Lachlan Lonergan (Brumbies / Wallabies) 3. Sam Talakai (Melbourne Rebels / Wallabies) 4. Ned Hanigan (NSW Waratahs / Wallabies) 5. Cadeyrn Neville (Brumbies / Wallabies) 6. Lachie Swinton (NSW Waratahs / Wallabies) 7. Seru Uru (Queensland Reds / Australia ‘A’) 8. Harry Wilson (Queesland Reds / Wallabies)
9. Ryan Lonergan (Captain) (Brumbies / Australia ‘A’) 10. Jack Debreczeni (Brumbies) 11. Dylan Pietsch (Waratahs / Australia ‘A’) 12. Filipo Daugunu (Queensland Reds / Wallabies) 13. Len Ikitau (Brumbies / Wallabies) 14. Taichi Takahashi (Toyota Verblitz) 15. Tom Wright (Brumbies / Wallabies)
Replacements: 16. Shunta Nakamura (Suntory Sungoliath) 17. Kenta Kobayashi (Suntory Sungoliath) 18. Harry Johnson-Holmes (NSW Waratahs / Wallabies) 19. Josh Canham (Melbourne Rebels) 20. Uwe Helu (Kubota Spears / Japan) 21. Jack Tuttle (Queensland Reds) 22. Nick McCurran (Toshiba Brave Lupus) 23. Damien Hoyland (Old Glory D.C / Scotland)
This is one of two matches for the Londoners this weekend, with half the squad travelling up to face Nottingham in the Premiership Rugby Cup. Kick off at the Twickenham Stoop is at 14:15, with the earlier start time enabling fans to then enjoy England vs Samoa in the Rugby World Cup.