Wales v Barbarians LIVE: Steve Tandy's side start summer with win as George North signs off

Wales began their summer campaign with a 33-31 victory over the Barbarians at Twickenham in sweltering conditions. The match served as ideal preparation for Steve Tandy's side ahead of their inaugural Nations Championship campaign, which begins with a clash against Fiji in Cardiff next weekend.

Wales' five tries came through Kieran Hardy and Dan Edwards in the first half, giving them a 14-5 lead at the interval. Edwards scored again minutes into the second half before Reuben Morgan-Williams and Ellis Mee also crossed the line.

The match held special significance as George North played the final game of his professional career for the Barbarians. The former Wales player made an immediate impact as a second-half replacement, scoring less than two minutes after entering the field. He grabbed a second try 10 minutes from time as the Barbarians mounted a strong comeback, narrowing Wales' lead from 17 points to just two in the closing stages. North then kicked the final conversion of the game.

Steve Tandy expressed satisfaction with the performance despite the narrow winning margin. "Getting the win is great for us and then getting four boys off the bench who played high minutes against some outstanding rugby players so that was great," he said. "Getting Teddy back starting a big game since October last year, Dillon Lewis coming back in, the skipper coming back in after a long lay-off, Jac hasn't played for us since the Argentina game. So there's lots to like about the game. I thought we probably could have put more distance in it in the first-half but it's a brilliant hit-out for us."

Tandy highlighted the value of match practice ahead of Fiji. "There's lots for us to learn and get better at but I think it's everything you wanted going into Fiji because that's going to be chaotic at times. There's going to be moments that you can be in really good positions and something happens. It's great preparation."