Barely 24 hours after being dropped, Barkley was reunited with Englands fly-half jersey, drafted in to replace an injured Paul Grayson.

Grayson has failed a fitness test on the left calf muscle strain that also meant he missed Englands 31-21 victory over Wales last time out.

England head coach Sir Clive Woodward named Grayson in the starting XV for Saturdays RBS 6 Nations title showdown with France, axing Barkley despite his 16-point performance against Wales.

But in a rapid turnaround of fortunes, 22-year-old Barkley is now back, winning a fifth England cap.

Barkley will now step up, which I am fine about because it was a close call anyway. I think it was right to go with Grayson in terms of his experience for this game, but it was not to be, and I am very happy to go with Barkley, said Woodward.

It brings a left-footed kicking option, and balances up the side even better.

Paul Grayson is a player that rarely gets injured, and he has not been injured all season.

He just had a slight calf strain last week, and we thought it was very minor, but it doesnt seem to go away.

England skipper Lawrence Dallaglio added: Olly has to take his performance from last week to another level, which is what this game is. It is up to the senior players to help him, and there are a lot of experienced players around.

The best way the forward pack can help him is to create the platform for him to have the time to play his game.

England have kept training to a minimum this week, and it will be no exception after they arrive in the French capital.

Its been a tough few weeks, if we are honest, said Woodward.

Weve had, by our own standards, not a disappointing season, but the loss to Ireland stands out.

We, more than anybody else, pride ourselves on our win-loss record against the top sides in the world.

At the moment, we have beaten the southern hemisphere sides 12 times in a row, including the World Cup final, and that is the record I am most proud of. I am also very proud of our record against France.

These are sides against you want to really judge yourself and judge your team, so especially with France going for the Grand Slam, we are determined to win this game.