David Flatman Column: The Baa Baas are back and may they live forever

This feature appears in the current edition of Sport magazine. , and

Believe it or not, I was asked to play for the Barbarians once or twice in the old days. The first time, my club coach refused to release me. To say I harbour some resentment would be both fair and reasonable. The other times, representative tours and injuries got in the way.

This was always a sore spot for me; one of the few remaining aches from my career. But a couple of years ago, this ache began to dissipate as I watched the Baa Baas receive yet another humping from an international side and become, unarguably, another degree less relevant.

Rugby union is lucky this concept was dreamed up and made into a reality, but professionalism has gradually been becoming more and more of a threat to its sustainability. The notion - and inherent romance - of plucking superstar players from all over the globe and telling them to go forth and express themselves with elan is genius, but defences are growing ever tighter.

Sitting in the stands a couple of seasons ago, there were folk around me leaving early, and declaring the Barbarians a dead entity. Their well-publicised approach - involving the best hotels, very little training and some aggressive partying - had at last begun to catch up with them, and professional Test sides were beginning to thrash them with a sad regularity.

So it was with genuine pleasure and relief that I watched them run Australia so close at Twickenham last weekend. I’ll be honest: when asked for a pre-match prediction, I foresaw a ritual, hungover humiliation for the rock stars in the black and white hoops. But it never came. It was a fantastic game. But, moreover, it was the physical reaffirmation of a concept that just cries out to be celebrated.

Imagine, if you will, the Barbarians concept being run in other sports. Imagine Messi and Ronaldo, Zlatan and Suarez in the same side, playing against Germany or Brazil (if they sort their act out). An international all-star team taking on the best sides in the world, in the biggest stadia, and with instructions to attack, attack, attack would be outrageous to behold, never mind a commercial gold mine.

The wonderful old Baa Baas have had a rough period of late and were, in my view, close to the edge of reason. But now they are back, and may they live forever.

PS: Anyone know if they run a vets side?