Easter demands more as England edge out Barbarians

Martin Johnson's side performed impressively in the first half, running in three tries as the invitational side paid the price for an abysmal defensive performance.

England led 32-5 early in the second half thanks to scores from James Haskell, Shontayne Hape, Ben Foden and Mike Tindall, with Paul Sackey having crossed for the Baa-Baas. The Barbarians staged a spirited fightback as the hosts faded badly after the break, however. David Smith, Census Johnston and Sackey crossed to pull the score back to 32-26, but a late Olly Barkley penalty ensured England head off on their tour of Australia and New Zealand on the back of a victory.

Harlequins forward Easter, leading the side in the absence of Steve Borthwick and Lewis Moody, said: "I thought the first half was pretty good but the second half was disappointing. We didn't have much ball and we were probably a bit soft in defence. But we showed character to grind out the win in the end.

"I'm not sure how many decisions we got (from the referee) in the second half, which made it hard, but there is still stuff to work on and there is just over a week until the next game.

"We have got players that can strike – guys like David Strettle, Mark Cueto and Ben Foden. That's how we want to play. We want to express ourselves, but the nuts and bolts need to be tightened up.

"This tour is very important, the World Cup is down in the Antipodes and it is a tough place to play. It's a large squad and there are a lot of games so it should be a good test."

Lewis Moody insisted he had no regrets about leaving Leicester after helping the Tigers retain their Guinness Premiership title with a dramatic 33-27 victory over Saracens.

Substitute Dan Hipkiss scored the winning try three minutes from time as Leicester edged out Saracens 33-27 in a Twickenham thriller.

The England captain will join long-time rivals Bath later this summer after Leicester, his hometown club, failed to find room for him under their salary cap.

Bath's director of rugby Steve Meehan snapped Moody up quickly, desperate to tap into the kind of winning DNA that saw Leicester snatch victory at Twickenham on Saturday.

"It has been a huge part of my life since I was a schoolboy. My folks used to take me to Welford Road and we would be in the stands shouting 'Deano, Deano' with all the other fans," reflected Moody.

"I have had a wonderful 14 years. I have loved playing with this team and I have loved being involved with this club."