Barkley ignoring England thoughts

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Interview: Bath fly-half Olly Barkley

Bath fly-half Olly Barkley is trying to ignore the distractions of a possible England call-up and concentrate on this weekend's game against Gloucester.

Martin Johnson will announce his squad for the New Zealand tour on Tuesday.

"I'm hopeful, as I'm sure a lot of players are," Barkley told BBC Points West. "But whether I do or don't is out of my hands at the moment."

"I'll have my fingers crossed and I'll be hopeful but I need to concentrate on Saturday first," added the 26-year-old.

Bath comes first and foremost for me at the moment Olly Barkley

Saturday's game at Kingsholm is certainly an intriguing one for Barkley, who agreed a deal in February to move to Gloucester in the summer. But he is hoping to finish his Bath career on a high.

"It does add a little bit because I'm going there next year," he said. "I'd be lying if I said I didn't, but Bath comes first and foremost for me at the moment.

"I've a job to do for Bath at the moment. We're playing really well and we need to transfer our form to the away games.

"It's a massive game for us at a place which is typically very hard to play."