England head coach Eddie Jones believes Sunday’s Quilter Cup clash fixture against the Barbarians is a “fantastic opportunity” for the new members of his squad to show their international pedigree.
Jones’ side face the Barbarians at Twickenham Stadium on Saturday at 3pm (live on Sky Sports) with a team that has a blend of experience and fresh faces.
Among them include uncapped quartet Jack Singleton, Elliott Stooke, Zach Mercer and Henry Trinder.
The England team for Sunday’s #QuilterCup match against @Barbarian_FC at Twickenham.
Read 👉 https://t.co/ohpnptC7mR #ENGvBAR pic.twitter.com/zecaav1OnN
— England Rugby (@EnglandRugby) May 25, 2018
“This is a good young squad and their work ethic is outstanding, their application to learn has been very good,” said Jones.
“They are all very young at Test rugby so this weekend against the Barbarians is a fantastic opportunity for them to step up.”
George McGuigan, Nick Schonert, Josh Beaumont and Dan Robson are also among the replacements and Jones is relishing seeing how they adapt to international rugby against the famous invitational side.
“The test of a player is how quickly they adapt from being a club player with their club’s philosophy to being an international player and then being successful,” said Jones.
“It’s a great opportunity for them to show they deserve to wear the English rose, it’s a great opportunity for them to show they can be in contention for the World Cup and it’s a great opportunity for them to send us to South Africa for the tour there on the front foot.”