Barkley, who was not selected in either the England or Saxons squads by national boss Martin Johnson earlier this month, will be reassessed  and is expected to be out for six to eight weeks.

Head coach Steve Meehan, who re-signed the player from Gloucester at the end of last season, said: “Obviously it has had an impact upon Olly’s pre-season, which is a real shame because he has been training so well, but from a team point of view we have every confidence that we will still have a strong start to the season.

“We have the likes of Shontayne Hape, Nicky Little, Ryan Davis, Tom Cheeseman and Matt Carraro who are all very capable in those positions, so there is no major drama.

“It is only a short-term injury.”