"Two England stars" - 5 players who flopped in their final World Cup warm-ups

In a less than optimal conclusion before their World Cup opening match against Argentina in Marseille on September 9th, Fiji secured their first-ever victory over England.

On Friday, New Zealand faced a historic defeat as All Blacks lock Scott Barrett was red-carded during the most substantial loss in the team's history against the Springboks.

Saturday evening proved to be challenging for Andy Farrell as well, with Ireland concluding their World Cup preparations in an unconvincing manner, rallying from behind to secure a victory against Samoa.

As the start of the 2023 Rugby World Cup looms, several prominent stars faltered during their respective teams' final outings.

Telegraph 3/10: "Ubiquitous in the warm-ups, the only player to start all four, but saved his worst until last. Could not catch a cold - admittedly in the midst of a downpour."

Rugby Pass 4/10: "Turnovers in his game have become a concern and there were more here. Showed little in attack and also couldn’t shut the door as last man for the opening two Fijians tries, the second concession on 53 minutes the prompt for him to be subbed for Marcus Smith."

Planet Rugby 2/10: "Great under the high ball but one-on-one defence isn’t good enough. Lacks pace and it’s exposed when England’s first-up rearguard is missing tackles."

Rugby Pass 2/10: "This was probably Beauden Barrett’s worst performances in an All Blacks jersey. The legendary playmaker looked lost and out of place against a red-hot Springboks outfit. Barrett struggled during the first term, much like his teammates, and this trend continued after the break."

Stuff 3/10: "A left-foot cross-kick out on the full in his own 22m summed up a sorry night. Had no good ball to play with and looked rather lost."

Planet Rugby 3/10: "Anonymous. Hardly touched the ball due to the Springboks’ sustained dominance and it’s hard to remember hearing his name."

Planet Rugby 4/10: "Some of the blame for the lineout troubles fall on his shoulders, and he put his hand up for that. The skipper on the night had a rather forgettable game. He is the kind of player who does much of the hard graft but still largely anonymous, and there was a notable improvement in the position when James Ryan replaced him on the hour mark."

Independent 4/10: "The stand-in skipper won't have been impressed by the running repairs still required by the Irish line-out. Came off after an hour with the game very much still in the balance. "

Rugby Pass 2/10: "Scott Barrett made history on Friday night, but not for the right reasons. Barrett is the first All Black ever to be sent off twice in Test rugby. Two yellow cards make a red, and that’s the easiest way to summarise Barrett’s night. Barrett received his marching orders following a needless high tackle on a defenceless Dane Vermeulen. What this means for Barretts Rugby World Cup remains to be seen."

Stuff 2/10: "Scapegoat for sixth team penalty in a row with early yellow card, then a clumsy cleanout near halftime saw him cop a second yellow, and therefore a red, though which he won’t face further sanction for as the bunker deemed it not worthy of an upgrade."

Planet Rugby 3/10: " A victim of consistent team offences as he went to the sin-bin on 14 minutes for interfering at a ruck, but was then shown a second yellow card before the break, ultimately ending his night. Barrett has been great form in recent weeks but tonight was a game he would like to forget."

Telegraph 4/10: "One of few individual positives in August, but there was not much to sing about on Saturday. Caught dawdling for Fiji’s second try and could not impose himself with the ball."

Planet Rugby 3/10: "Moved to eight in the absence of Billy Vunipola but completely ineffective."

Rugby Pass 4/10: "A first start in this No8 position at Test level, no one can quibble with his huge number of tackles. However, England need a ball carrier in this role and he didn’t do this, his struggle encapsulated by the flapped attempted catch of a Ford crossfield kick with his team chasing on the scoreboard."