Wallabies winger Joe Tomane scored a hat-trick as a star-studded Barbarians side lit up Kingsholm with a 10-try 62-14 win over Gloucester.
Michael Cheika’s side warmed up for their date with Argentina at Twickenham by making light of the storm-force conditions in the Westcountry.
Along with Tomane’s triple, Fiji’s Nemani Nadolo, All Blacks’ Nehe Milner-Skudder, Ryan Crotty and Waisake Naholo, South Africa’s Lood de Jager and Pat Lambie, and uncapped New Zealander Ardie Savea.
Gloucester stayed in touch with a Dan Thomas burst from 20 metres, their scrummaging resulting in a sin binning for New Zealand prop Jamie Mackintosh and they forced a penalty try in the closing moments.
There was a big gulf in the experience between these sides, with the Barbarians scratch outfit totalling 573 international caps between them against a young home side with a mix of youngsters plus a few old heads including veteran prop Nick Wood.
Gloucester was tenacious throughout, though, particularly at the set pieces, but the cutting edge in the Barbarians stellar back line - with South Africa’s Lambie pulling the strings and Milner-Skudder, Tomane and Nadolo running riot - was irresistible.
Cheika unleashed his bench in the second half bringing on the likes of New Zealand’s Naholo, Australia captain Stephen Moore and South Africa legend Bakkies Botha.
Fiji wing Nadolo opened the scoring by barging over on the left before Gloucester were briefly in front when Thomas stole the ball to score and saw his effort converted by Lloyd Evans.
Milner-Skudder breezed over for the second and Tomane scored twice in quick succession before Gloucester’s best spell saw them win a string of scrum penalties with Mackintosh ordered off by referee Dean Richards as a result.
The Barbarians scored again before the break, through Crotty, to open up a 31-7 lead with Lambie converting two of the five first half scores into the howling wind.
Gloucester lost number eight Lewis Ludlow to the sin bin early in the second half, the cue for four more Barbarians tries in an 18-minute spell from De Jager, Savea, and replacements Naholo and Kerr-Barlow.
The cherry and whites rallied once more - setting up the position for a drive to the line and awarded a penalty try five minutes from time when their driving maul was pulled down.
But the Barbarians had the last word when Tomane broke out once more and Lambie followed up to touch down their final try with flanker Savea supplying the conversion.
