Harlequins v Gloucester: Teams
Harlequins have made just two changes to their backline for the visit of Gloucester in the LV= Cup on Sunday.
Last Updated: 05/02/10 2:24pm
Harlequins have made just two changes to their backline for the visit of Gloucester in the LV= Cup on Sunday.
Having shocked London Irish last week, coach John Kingston has kept faith in the squad - although England Under-20s call-ups mean Sam Smith and Rory Clegg are both ruled out.
That means Josh Drauniniu will start on the wing and Waisea Luveniyali will cover the fly-half position from the bench.
Mike Brown will continue as skipper in Will Skinner's absence, while 19-year-old academy member Ross Chisholm is named among the replacements.
Gloucester head coach Bryan Redpath has admitted selection for the match had been challenging, particularly with so many players on international duty.
However Redpath has been able to call on six internationals for the match, with Luke Narraway set to skipper the side.
There will also be first starts for recent signings Semi Tadulala and Tim Taylor as well as prop Rupert Harden.
Momentum
"There are a lot of players away this weekend and we're also playing Harlequins again in six days time," Redpath said.
"It's still a big game and it's a big opportunity for these guys to come and play and perform. So, there are some new faces like Tadulala and Taylor coming into the mix and we can find out more about these players as we did with Yann Thomas last week.
"We know what we've got to do. We've got win first and foremost and consistency and carrying through our momentum are important to us. So, winning the game is huge.
"But it's also a big game for everyone wearing a Harlequins shirt as well. They have players looking to play in the Premiership game the week after or playing for a new contract. These games are massively important for everyone at the club."
Harlequins:15 Mike Brown (c), 14 George Lowe, 13 Gonzalo Tiesi, 12 Jordan Turner-Hall, 11 Josh Drauniniu, 10 Nick Evans, 9 Karl Dickson, 8 Tom Guest, 7 Neil McMillan, 6 Chris York, 5 Lewis Stevenson, 4 James Percival, 3 John Andress, 2 Matt Cairns, 1 Ceri Jones.
Replacements:16 Chris Brooker, 17 Aston Croall, 18 James Johnston, 19 Tomas Vallejos, 20 Luke Wallace, 21 Steve So'oialo, 22 Waisea Luveniyali, 23 Ross Chisholm.
Gloucester:15 Charlie Sharples, 14 Tom Voyce, 13 Tim Molenaar, 12 Lesley Vainikolo, 11 Semi Tadulala, 10 Tim Taylor, 9 Dave Lewis, 8 Luke Narraway (c), 7 Andrew Hazell, 6 Peter Buxton, 5 Will James, 4 Adam Eustace, 3 Rupert Harden, 2 Darren Dawidiuk, 1 Pierre Capdevielle.
Replacements:16 Olivier Azam, 17 Yann Thomas, 18 Greg Somerville, 19 Alex Brown, 20 Apo Satala, 21 Andy Williams, 22 Nicky Robinson, 23 James Simpson-Daniel