New Zealand's 'terminator' Collins in the mood to rumble England
By PETER JACKSON
Jerry Collins will never be more of a wanted man than when he sets foot on the 'holy turf' at Twickenham tomorrow in the hope of giving England a thumping send-off to New Zealand.
'The Terminator', who lived up to his nickname by persuading his All Black employers to terminate his contract 18 months ahead of schedule, will call a ceasefire to the bombardment from prospective new employers to concentrate on the Barbarians' crack at an experimental England XV.
Terminator on a mission: Collins can soften up England for the All Blacks
Just about every big European club from Munster down will have to wait while Collins concentrates on the job in hand.
"It's always a pleasure to step on to the holy turf," he said. "This will be my fifth match at Twickenham and I've never lost there. The venue and the occasion means it won't be very hard to get everyone fired up and motivated to win."
Playing under a new captain, Mark Regan, will make it a novel experience for the New Zealander. Regan, last seen on Test duty helping England beat France in Paris during the Six Nations, leads a typically cosmopolitan Baa-baas team drawn from seven countries, with the veteran Saracen Kris Chesney maintaining the tradition as the one uncapped player.
England, with six uncapped players of their own and Nick Easter deputising for tour captain Steve Borthwick, can only hope to complete the weekend unscathed and avoid any late changes before leaving for Auckland on Monday.
TV: Sky Sports 1, 2.30pm (kick-off 3pm)
