Barbarians 26-20 South Africa: Barbarian skills beat the bounce out of Springboks

Drew Mitchell grabbed two opportunist first-half tries as the Barbarians sent South Africa home from Twickenham with a comprehensive defeat in the final match of their autumn European tour.

The Barbarians applied the early pressure which resulted in lively Australian scrum-half Will Genia's neat reverse pass sending countryman Mitchell powering in for the opening try after six minutes.

South Africa's 20-year-old fly-half Elton Jantjies opened their account in the 10th minute, but the Barbarians hit them with two tries in a devastating five-minute spell to stretch their lead to 19-3 after only 21 minutes. The Baa Baas whipped the ball along the line and Kiwi powerhouse Ma'a Nonu gave O'Connor the space to run in unchallenged for a try which the youngster converted from the touchline.

Mitchell struck again in the 21st minute when he won the chase to touch down loose ball and O'Connor converted. South Africa got a foothold in the game four minutes into the second half through right-wing Odwa Ndungane, who raced half the length of the pitch before touching down between the posts to leave Jantjies an easy conversion, then Quintin Geldenhayes bundled over in the left corner with O'Connor again on target.

South Africa rallied with two late tries, from lock Botha and replacement hooker Bandise Maku in the last attack but it was too little, too late.

Scorers: Barbarians: Tries: Mitchell 2, O'Connor, Geldenhuys. Cons: O'Connor 3. South Africa: Tries: Tries: Ndungane, Botha, Maku. Cons: Jantjies. Pens: Jantjies.

Barbarians: O'Connor, Rokocoko, Ashley-Cooper, Nonu, Mitchell, Giteau, Genia, Perugini, Moore, Tialata, van Zyl, Jack, So'oialo, Williams, Bourke. Replacements: Mealamu, Yapp, Geldenhuys, Braid, Ellis, Donald, Rabeni.

South Africa: Lambie, Ndungane, Jacobs, A Strauss, Mvovo, Jantjies, Hougaard, Oosthuizen, A Strauss, van der Linde, Botha, Hargreaves, Alberts, Smith, Kankowski. Replacements: Maku, Mtawarira, Kruger, van der Merwe, Daniel, McLeod, Aplon.

Referee: P Gauzere (France).