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Eddie Jones calls up Bristol trio to England squad for Barbarians game

Bristol Bear's Ben Earl in action during the European Challenge Cup Final at the Stade Maurice-David, Aix-en-Provence, France. PA Photo. Picture date: Friday October 16, 2020. See PA story RUGBYU Final. Photo credit should read: Julien Poupart/PA Wir - PA/Julien Poupart 
Bristol Bear's Ben Earl in action during the European Challenge Cup Final at the Stade Maurice-David, Aix-en-Provence, France. PA Photo. Picture date: Friday October 16, 2020. See PA story RUGBYU Final. Photo credit should read: Julien Poupart/PA Wir - PA/Julien Poupart

Eddie Jones has called up the Bristol Bears trio of Ben Earl, Max Malins and Kyle Sinckler to his England squad to face the Barbarians after it was confirmed that Wasps would be able to take their place in the Premiership final.

Meanwhile, fly-half George Ford has pulled out of the game due to what has been described as a “pre-existing Achilles issue”. That leaves captain Owen Farrell as the only specialist fly-half in the squad.

Both flanker Earl, who finished the 2019-20 Premiership campaign with 11 tries, and tighthead prop Sinckler were involved in the earlier part of England’s Six Nations campaign this year.

Uncapped Malins, the scorer of a superb and crucial try in Bristol’s 32-19 European Challenge Cup victory over Toulon last Friday, has been in fine form since joining Pat Lam’s team on loan from Championship-bound Saracens.

Although he has predominantly appeared at full-back at senior level, the 23-year-old is versatile enough to cover fly-half in the absence of Ford.

Barbarians have announced 22 names for Sunday’s game, featuring 11 Saracens and former England captain and Harlequins back-rower Chris Robshaw. Ex-Ireland and Leinster wing-cum-centre Fergus McFadden has also been called up.

Vern Cotter, recently appointed as Fiji head coach, has included seven members of his national side as he takes charge of the Barbarians.

Tom de Glanville, the Bath full-back, and Harlequins tighthead prop Simon Kerrod will also play for the famous invitational side after joining England for their preparations over the past weeks.

In a bid to mitigate player work-load, with the 2020-21 season of English rugby union’s top-tier competition due to begin as soon as November 20, it was agreed at a Professional Game Board meeting that no Premiership players would be considered for Barbarians selection.

Harlequins scrum-half Danny Care revealed on the BBC’s Rugby Union Weekly podcast that he would have otherwise played against England for the Barbarians, with the BBC subsequently reporting that Mike Brown had also been approached.

Telegraph Sport understands that England received special dispensation for De Glanville and Kerrod to play for the Barbarians because they had already been in camp since the end of their clubs’ respective 2019-20 Premiership campaigns.