England to face Barbarians at Twickenham in June

England will host the Barbarians at Twickenham this summer as preparation for their tour of Australia in July.

The fixture on June 19 will be the first meeting between the teams in three years since Marcus Smith inspired a 51-43 victory for a much-changed Eddie Jones’ side.

Barbarians were set to face Samoa at Twickenham in November but the match was cancelled due to an outbreak of Covid-19 cases in their camp. It followed a similar incident in 2020 when 13 players from the invitational side breached coronavirus protocols which resulted in their England clash being called off.

Jones said: “The Barbarians fixture is a special one in rugby, it’s always a good challenge for the players, entertaining for supporters and showcases the spirit of the game.

“It’s been great to play back in full stadiums again and we know this game is one that the fans enjoy and we’re looking forward to playing in front of the Twickenham crowd. It will also be a good preparation for us ahead of an important tour to Australia.”

“As a club we have of course not had the easiest time coming to Twickenham in recent months,” Barbarians president John Spencer added. “We therefore are looking forward to returning as worthy opponents of England in June.”