London Irish v Harlequins: Teams
London Irish boss Toby Booth is relishing the prospect of tackling Harlequins in the season opener at Twickenham
Last Updated: 02/09/11 1:46pm
London Irish boss Toby Booth is relishing the prospect of tackling Harlequins in the season opener at Twickenham
The two rivals kick-off the new campaign in the London Double Header - with Booth hoping his young squad can rise to the challenge.
"Twickenham is a great place to start the Aviva Premiership season and we hope to be playing in front of a huge crowd," said Booth.
"The younger members of the squad are excited by the challenge and looking forward to playing competitively.
Excited
"The World Cup period will be difficult for most clubs. It is never going to be easy when you lose close to 20 per cent of your squad. We have put our trust in our young players to deliver and they are eager to take the opportunity with both hands. We are excited by the challenge."
Booth has handed a debut to former Leeds and Bristol fly-half Adrian Jarvis while fellow new signings Alex Gray, Leo Halavatau, James Sandford and Steve Shingler start on the bench.
There will be a familiar look to the Harlequins squad with 11 of the side having started the Amlin Challenge Cup victory.
Three of the club's summer signings all start on the bench, with Tim Fairbrother, Charlie Matthews and Richard Bolt waiting to make their debuts.
Nick Evans, Jordan Turner-Hall, Ugo Monye, Mike Brown, Will Skinner, Chris Robshaw and Joe Marler are all included in a strong-looking line-up.
London Irish: 15 Tom Homer, 14 Topsy Ojo, 13 Jonathan Joseph, 12 Daniel Bowden (capt), 11 Marland Yarde, 10 Adrian Jarvis, 9 Paul Hodgson, 8 Chris Hala'ufia, 7 Richard Thorpe, 6 Kieran Roche, 5 Matt Garvey, 4 Nick Kennedy, 3 Faan Rautenbach, 2 David Paice, 1 Max Lahiff.
Replacements: 16 James Buckland, 17 Clarke Dermody, 18 Leo Halavatau, 19 James Sandford, 20 Alex Gray, 21 Adam Thompstone, 22 Steve Shingler, 23 Darren Allinson.
Harlequins: 15 Mike Brown, 14 Ross Chisholm, 13 George Lowe, 12 Jordan Turner-Hall, 11 Ugo Monye, 10 Nick Evans, 9 Karl Dickson. 8 Tom Guest, 7 Will Skinner, 6 Chris Robshaw (capt), 5 George Robson, 4 Ollie Kohn, 3 James Johnston, 2 Joe Gray, 1 Joe Marler.
Replacements: 16 Chris Brooker, 17 Mark Lambert, 18 Tim Fairbrother, 19 Charlie Matthews, 20 Chris York, 21 Richard Bolt, 22 Rory Clegg, 23 Sam Smith.