Harlequins v Wasps: Teams
Wasps welcome back Richard Birkett for their trip to take on London rivals Harlequins at the Twickenham Stoop on Saturday.
Last Updated: 07/01/11 2:18pm
Harlequins return to the Stoop for their first home game of 2011 and will field a side full of home-grown English talent against Wasps.
A total of 21 of the 23 players named by Conor O'Shea's could represent England and a further ten of those have emerged as products of the club's academy system.
After playing their last home fixture at Twickenham, Quins will now hope to keep their superb recent record at the Stoop intact having last lost there to Northampton in September.
They make only two changes to the side that beat Saints on New Year's Day for Saturday's London derby and they both come in the front row.
Joe Gray returns from a one match absence to start alongside Joe Marler in place of Matt Cairns, while Mark Lambert comes in for the injured John Andress to complete the front three.
The rest of the side remains unchanged with Nick Evans, the only non-English player in the team, continuing his exciting half-back partnership with Danny Care.
Birkett back for Wasps
Meanwhile, Wasps welcome back Richard Birkett from injury as they prepare to go head-to-head with their local rivals.
The utility forward is back after three months on the sidelines following elbow surgery and will make his first appearance since playing against Glasgow in the Heineken Cup last October.
As well as the addition of Birkett, who replaces Will Matthews in the back row, further changes in the pack have been made with both Simon Shaw and Joe Worsley rested. Shaw is replaced by Marty Veale whilst Serge Betsen comes in for Worsley.
The front row remains unchanged although new signing Michael Mayhew has been named on the bench - Mayhew recently joined on a short-term contract from North Harbour.
In the three-quarters, Mark Van Gisbergen gets the nod at full-back having started on the bench last week, while Richard Haughton moves to the wing to partner Tom Varndell with David Lemi named amongst the replacements.
Ben Jacobs again captains the side and partners Steve Kefu in midfield as Riki Flutey moves to fly-half.
Looking ahead to the game, director of rugby Tony Hanks said, "We are pleased to welcome Richard Birkett back to play, he is a huge part of the club and is a proven performer so he certainly bolsters the side going into this game which is huge for both teams.
"Notable changes see Riki Flutey at fly-half for this game - a position that he is equally comfortable in. Steve Kefu and Ben Jacobs have formed a strong partnership in midfield and this move allows Riki to continue to build on his game time following a return from injury.
"Wasps v Quins fixtures are always hugely competitive and we expect Saturday's game to be no different. Both teams are pushing for vital points and on the back of recent form it should be a good showdown between the two London sides."
Harlequins: 15 Mike Brown 14 Tom Williams 13 George Lowe 12 Jordan Turner-Hall 11 Ugo Monye 10 Nick Evans 9 Danny Care 8 Nick Easter 7 Chris Robshaw (capt) 6 Tom Guest 5 George Robson 4 Ollie Kohn 3 Mark Lambert 2 Joe Gray 1 Joe Marler.
Replacements: 16 Chris Brooker, 17 Rob Buchanan, 18 Will Collier, 19 Tomas Vallejos, 20 Will Skinner, 21 Karl Dickson, 22 Rory Clegg, 23 Tom Casson
Wasps: 15 Mark Van Gisbergen, 14 Richard Haughton, 13 Ben Jacobs (capt), 12 Steve Kefu, 11 Tom Varndell, 10 Riki Flutey, 9 Nic Berry, 8 Andy Powell, 7 Serge Betsen, 6 Richard Birkett, 5 James Cannon, 4 Marty Veale, 3 Zak Taulafo, 2 Tom Lindsay, 1 Tim Payne.
Replacements: 16 Michael Mayhew, 17 Charlie Beech, 18 Ben Broster, 19 Joe Launchbury, 20 Sam Jones, 21 Joe Simpson, 22 Dave Walder, 23 David Lemi