If you bring a bag to Twickenham these days you will likely have it searched on entry to the ground for anything you might have in there to make mischief with.

Never mind that, the best use of your rucksack on Sunday would have been to stick it over your head rather than watch that load of rubbish.

The only thing achieved was to push England’s annual fixture with the Barbarians perilously close to extinction.

Yes, the BaaBaas turned up intent to stop England playing.

Yes, this was a red rose side that had about as much in common with each other as Osama Bin Laden and Pope Benedict XIV.

And, yes, after the packed house and emotion-fuelled atmosphere of the previous 24-hours, when Twickenham was rocked to its foundations by one of the best sporting occasions you will see anywhere this year, it was never going to scale those heights.

But, all those facts aside, 55,000 spectators still turned up with hopes of being entertained.

Instead, they were treated to something that was no more worth watching than the Eurovision song contest.

The score for entertainment value at England HQ on Sunday? Nil points.

Reasons to be cheerful? Mathew Tait’s outside break similar to that that nearly took him to the tryline in Paris in the World Cup final, drifting away from a perfectly weighted pass then accelerating past a defender into the space.

He is the only centre England have capable of doing that, and should start in New Zealand. One only hopes that next year at Sale he is paired in midfield with Luke McAlister rather than posted at full back where he is far less certain of himself.

Nick Kennedy did well too, wrecking the BaaBaas lineout and getting in Justin Harrison’s face – which is always a welcome sight.

And, er, that’s about it.

But in truth, we knew those two were good at those things, so hardly revelations to build on.

Nothing learned and nothing gained by coaches or fans, but as much as £35 a head wasted by the latter.

There is real danger this game could become a casualty of the professional era, but on this evidence, it won’t be too sorely missed.