Barkley won his first England cap as a 19-year-old on the 2001 tour of North America before he had even made a senior appearance for English Premiership side Bath and has been in-and-out of the international frame ever since.

He had to wait over three years for his next England cap that came as a replacement in the clash with Italy in the 2004 Six Nations and has gone on to win a total of 23 caps, playing at both fly-half and inside centre, with his last outing coming against the All Blacks in New Zealand in June 2008.

In between he made his Rugby World Cup bow after Brian Ashton, who originally spotted the left-footer's talent, selected Barkley as part of his squad for the 2007 tournament in France.

Barkley played for Bath 164 times following his debut in 2001, amassing 1,538 points, before signing a two-year deal with West Country rivals Gloucester in July 2008. But Barkley made a swift return to Bath at the end of the 2008-09 campaign and his form has since taken him back into the international reckoning with the England Saxons.

He was selected for the 2010 tour of Australia, but was overlooked for the Test team and vented his disappointment in the press. Despite a strong start to the 2010/11 season with Bath, he was ommitted from the England Elite players squad and missed out on the squad for the November internationals and Six Nations, prompting suspicions that his outburst had upset the England hierachy.

Barkley continued to perform well for Bath before suffering a serious leg injury against Gloucester in the Premiership clash in March 2011.

The London-born play-maker has also courted controversy off-the-field having been arrested in 2006 following a street fight but no charges were brought. He was arrested again the following year after another altercation but the case was dropped due to a lack of evidence.