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Tigers on the mark in midweek win

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Leicester Tigers team-mates Thomas Waldrom and Graham Kitchener were among the try-scorers as England won their opening midweek game of the South Africa tour on Wednesday.

Man-of-the-match Waldrom was a prominent figure in England’s 54-26 victory over South Africa Southern Barbarians in Kimberley, carrying ball to get the tourists going forward and scoring two tries.

Club colleague Kitchener grabbed a second-half try, with Tigers centre Anthony Allen providing the scoring pass.

Replacement hooker Tom Youngs was used as a second-half replacement, playing at this level for the first time.

After conceding an early try by Jacques Engelbrecht from a catch-and-drive, England hit back with two penalties from Charlie Hodgson.

Then Waldrom claimed the opening try as he took ball off the back of a lineout and beat two tacklers to dot down to the right of the posts and give England the lead for the first time. Hodgson added the conversion to make it 13-7 to the tourists.

Barely a minute later a quick penalty from Care created an opening for Wasps wing Christian Wade to score the first of his three tries and then Jordan Turner-Hall provided the opening for Harlequins team-mate George Lowe to add England’s third in the 24th minute as the lead reached 25-7.

England lost James Haskell to a yellow card and the home team took their opportunity as hooker Hannes Franklin found his way over the tryline. Elgar Watts added the extras to make the score 25-14 at half-time.

Youngs joined the England pack as a 47th-minute replacement and soon saw clubmate Waldrom claim his second try, picking up at the base of a scrum and taking the Barbarians defence with him as he forced his way over.

Norman Nelson replied for the hosts who trailed 30-21 approaching the hour mark.

Youngs was involved twice in the build-up to Kitchener’s try, Hodgson spreading play to the left where Allen found his clubmate to run in for the team’s fifth try.

Allen also provided the scoring pass for try number six, taking possession inside his own 22 and breaking to halfway before sending Wade free. Hodgson’s kick made it 42-21 with 17 minutes remaining.

A breakaway try from replacement Ntabeni Dukisa gave the Barbarians renewed hope, though Allen almost joined Waldrom and Kitchener on the scoresheet before the TMO confirmed the ball had been lost forward just short of the line.

Scrum-half Danny Care provided a seventh try and Wade completed his hat-trick in the final minute as England topped the half-century mark.