Barbarian F.C. are delighted to announce that Eddie Jones will coach the side as they return to Twickenham Stadium in the summer of 2023.
The Killik Cup will be on the line on Sunday 28 May (kick-off 3pm), as Jones goes head-to-head with former New Zealand head coach Steve Hansen – who leads a World XV in what is set to be an unmissable clash in London.
General admission tickets go on sale on Tuesday 13th December – 10:00 AM from www.ticketmaster.co.uk/barbarians, with a special early-bird offer from £25* for Adults and £15* for Under-16s.
Jones is named head coach of the Barbarians for the second time, with his side edged out 33-31 by Fiji in what was a rollercoaster Killik Cup clash at Twickenham in November 2019.
The 62-year-old has coached a raft of the world’s best players in an illustrious 28-year career, which has seen Jones take Australia and England to the Rugby World Cup final in 2003 and 2019 respectively, help South Africa win the Webb Ellis Cup in 2007 as part of Jake White’s coaching staff, and lead England to three Six Nations titles (including a 2016 Grand Slam).
“It’s an incredible honour to be asked to coach the Barbarians for a second time,” said Jones.
“The club showed during the autumn that the values and traditions which make the Barbarians so special are still very much alive. Fans can expect to see two top-quality teams, packed full of international players, going all out to catch the eye ahead of the Rugby World Cup.
“I am very much looking forward to returning to Twickenham Stadium – a venue I have so many fond memories of – as head coach of the Barbarians, and I’m more motivated than ever to put on a show.
“Going up against Steve rekindles a great rivalry which first started in our days competing in Super Rugby and progressed into the international arena. It’ll be a great challenge and one I’m sure we’re both relishing.”
The fixture against Hansen’s World XV marks the first return to HQ for the Barbarians since a stunning 52-21 victory over England in June.
It follows a busy autumn campaign which saw Baa-baas sides coached by Scott Robertson, Ronan O’Gara, John Mulvihill and Geordan Murphy play four fixtures in November.
After retaining the Killik Cup courtesy of a 35-31 win over an All Blacks XV in front of 35,000 people at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, a last-gasp Barbarians triumph over Bath Rugby was sandwiched by two defeats to Northampton Saints and Harlequins – with the club springing to the aid of Premiership clubs looking to fill gaps in their schedules following the cancellation of all league fixtures involving Wasps and Worcester Warriors.
Meanwhile, this will be the first convening of a World XV for five years, and Hansen – a Rugby World Cup winner during his seven-year stint at the helm of the All Blacks – is relishing the prospect.
Hansen said: “2023 is set to be an incredible year for rugby and I’m really excited to be returning to Twickenham.
“I’ve coached both for and against the Barbarians during my career, and while you always have to expect the unexpected where they are concerned, you can be certain that come Sunday 28 May we’ll have a hugely entertaining match played in a festival atmosphere.
“The Rugby World Cup will be firmly on the horizon when this match comes around, and we hope we can showcase many of the players who will go on to be stars of the tournament in France during this Killik Cup clash.”
General admission tickets go on sale from Tuesday 13th December 10:00 AM. Visit www.ticketmaster.co.uk/barbarians – early-bird offer from £25* for Adults and £15* for Under-16s.
For a 10% discount on groups of 10 or more visit www.eticketing.co.uk/rfu/events
Hospitality packages are available to purchase from £299 per person via www.twickenhamstadium.com
*booking fees apply
All 76 players Eddie Jones handed an England senior debut to…
From World Cup wonders to one-cap washouts – here is a list of the players:
| 1374 | Jack Clifford | (flanker) | 2016-02-06 | v Scotland at Murrayfield |
| 1375 | Paul Hill | (prop) | 2016-02-14 | v Italy at Rome |
| 1376 | Maro Itoje | (flanker) | 2016-02-14 | v Italy at Rome |
| 1377 | Elliot Daly | (centre) | 2016-02-27 | v Ireland at Twickenham |
| 1378 | Teimana Harrison | flanker | 2016-05-29 | v Wales at Twickenham |
| 1379 | Ollie Devoto | (fly-half) | 2016-05-29 | v Wales at Twickenham |
| 1380 | Ellis Genge | (prop) | 2016-05-29 | v Wales at Twickenham |
| 1381 | Tommy Taylor | (hooker) | 2016-05-29 | v Wales at Twickenham |
| 1382 | Kyle Sinckler | (prop) | 2016-11-12 | v South Africa at Twickenham |
| 1383 | Nathan Hughes | (flanker) | 2016-11-12 | v South Africa at Twickenham |
| 1384 | Ben Te’o | (centre) | 2016-11-12 | v South Africa at Twickenham |
| 1385 | Charlie Ewels | (lock) | 2016-11-19 | v Fiji at Twickenham |
| 1386 | Harry Williams | prop | 2017-06-10 | v Argentina at San Jaun |
| 1387 | Mark Wilson | flanker | 2017-06-10 | v Argentina at San Juan |
| 1388 | Tom Curry | flanker | 2017-06-10 | v Argentina at San Juan |
| 1389 | Alex Lozowski | centre | 2017-06-10 | v Argentina at San Juan |
| 1390 | Denny Solomona | (winger) | 2017-06-10 | v Argentina at San Juan |
| 1391 | Piers Francis | (centre) | 2017-06-10 | v Argentina at San Juan |
| 1392 | Don Armand | (flanker) | 2017-06-10 | v Argentina at San Juan |
| 1393 | Jack Maunder | (scrum-half) | 2017-06-10 | v Argentina at San Juan |
| 1394 | Will Collier | (prop) | 2017-06-10 | v Argentina at San Juan |
| 1395 | Nick Isiekwe | (lock) | 2017-06-10 | v Argentina at San Juan |
| 1396 | Sam Underhill | flanker | 2017-06-17 | v Argentina at Santa Fè |
| 1397 | Sam Simmonds | (flanker) | 2017-11-11 | v Argentina at Twickenham |
| 1398 | Alec Hepburn | (prop) | 2018-04-02 | v Italy at Rome |
| 1399 | Brad Shields | (lock) | 2018-06-09 | v South Africa at Johannesburg |
| 1400 | Ben Spencer | (scrum-half) | 2018-06-09 | v South Africa at Johannesburg |
| 1401 | Ben Moon | (prop) | 2018-11-03 | v South Africa at Twickenham |
| 1402 | Zach Mercer | (no. 8) | 2018-11-03 | v South Africa at Twickenham |
| 1403 | Joe Cokanasiga | winger | 2018-11-17 | v Japan at Twickenham |
| 1404 | Ted Hill | (flanker) | 2018-11-17 | v Japan at Twickenham |
| 1405 | Dan Robson | (scrum-half) | 2019-02-10 | v France at Twickenham |
| 1406 | Willi Heinz | scrum-half | 2019-08-11 | v Wales at Twickenham |
| 1407 | Lewis Ludlam | flanker | 2019-08-11 | v Wales at Twickenham |
| 1408 | Jack Singleton | (hooker) | 2019-08-11 | v Wales at Twickenham |
| 1409 | Joe Marchant | (centre) | 2019-08-11 | v Wales at Twickenham |
| 1410 | Ruaridh McConnochie | winger | 2019-09-06 | v Italy at Newcastle upon Tyne |