Eddie Jones is looking forward to the test posed by the Barbarians after retaining 32 players in his England squad for this weekend’s Quilter Cup clash at Twickenham.
Northampton centre Piers Francis has been included in the training squad for England’s first match since March, as is club teammate George Furbank, but there is no place for Elliot Daly.
Jonathan Joseph, Joe Marchant and Henry Slade have also been named in the squad as they look to fill the void left in midfield at No.13 by the injury to Manu Tuilagi.
The Quilter Cup fixture, which is uncapped, will be followed by England’s final game of the 2020 Guinness Six Nations against Italy in Rome the following weekend (October 31).
Jones’ men will then play four matches as part of the Autumn Nations Cup, returning to Twickenham Stadium for Quilter Internationals against Georgia and Ireland.
They will then face Wales away before a placing match at home to determine final position in the competition – and Jones is hoping England can take their game to the next level.
“This is an important game for us and we’re looking forward to getting back to Twickenham and playing rugby,” said the Red Rose head coach.
“The Barbarians squad has a rich blend of talent, so this week we’ll be testing ourselves under pressure and looking to take our game to the next level.”
FULL SQUAD
Backs
Ali Crossdale, Saracens
Fraser Dingwall, Northampton Saints
Owen Farrell, Saracens
George Ford, Leicester Tigers
Piers Francis, Northampton Saints
George Furbank, Northampton Saints
Willi Heinz, Gloucester Rugby
Jonathan Joseph, Bath Rugby
Ollie Lawrence, Worcester Warriors
Joe Marchant, Harlequins
Jonny May, Gloucester Rugby
Alex Mitchell, Northampton Saints
Ollie Thorley, Gloucester Rugby
Anthony Watson, Bath Rugby
Ben Youngs, Leicester Tigers
Forwards
Tom Curry, Sale Sharks
Alex Dombrandt, Harlequins
Tom Dunn, Bath Rugby
Charlie Ewels, Bath Rugby
Ellis Genge, Leicester Tigers
Jamie George, Saracens
Joe Heyes, Leicester Tigers
Ted Hill, Worcester Warriors
Maro Itoje, Saracens
Alex Moon, Northampton Saints
Beno Obano, Bath Rugby
David Ribbans, Northampton Saints
Will Stuart, Bath Rugby
Sam Underhill, Bath Rugby
Billy Vunipola, Saracens
Mako Vunipola, Saracens
Mark Wilson, Newcastle Falcons
