An experimental England side beat the Barbarians 17-14 at Twickenham, but it was a shambolic send-off for the team ahead of their summer tour to New Zealand. Rob Andrew took temporary charge of the team, with new manager Martin Johnson keeping to a watching brief in the stands, but both men would have been underwhelmed by a wholly flat performance.

Tries from Nick Easter and Mathew Tait proved decisive but there were unanswered questions barely 24 hours before the squad jet off for Auckland. Andrew's Test squad will be strengthened by the return of players from Leicester, Wasps and Bath - but he was still able to name 15 of the senior touring party in his match 22.

England's Toby Flood scored an early penalty before captain Nick Easter scored the only try of a low-key first half, bundling over from close range in the 15th minute. Flood added the conversion to make the score 10-0 at the break.

The Barbarians showed only occasional flashes of flair and cohesion. London Irish's Samoan centre Seilala Mapasua scored a breakaway try 10 minutes after the interval, while Harlequins' Andy Gomarsall kicked the conversion to put them in touch at 10-7. But Tait dummied past Mapasua to dash over from 20 yards in the 64th minute to make it 17-7 and provide some breathing space.

The Barbarians missed a wonderful opportunity after 76 minutes, Morgan Turinui failing to hold on to the ball when he seemed certain to burst through for a try. But the invitational XI did manage a close finish: Gareth Thomas scored a beautifully worked try two minutes from time, the full-back breaking through the centres after a scrum inside the England 22. The conversion made it 17-14 but England just held on.

''The Barbairans were very street-wise," admitted Andrew. "They came to stop us playing, which is very unlike the Barbarians of old. Some of our players haven't played for three weeks so that was a tough workout for them.''