Guinness Premiership - Game of the Week
Quins and Wasps set for fresh start
Scrum.com
September 4, 2009
Harlequins wing Ugo Monye in action against Saracens, September 6 2008
Ugo Monye has been pressed in to action at fullback for Quins © Getty Images
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The second game of the now traditional London Double Header will give Harlequins the chance to put their difficult summer behind them, facing a new-look Wasps side at Twickenham.

With the looming presence of 'Bloodgate' still dominating the headlines, new Quins boss John Kingston will have designs on getting the post-Dean Richards era off to the best possible start. Wasps head in to the game after a summer with new coach Tony Hanks, who replaced Ian McGeechan at the end of last season.

Last season saw Wasps miss out on Heineken Cup qualification and lose the services of Riki Flutey, James Haskell and Tom Palmer to lucrative contracts in France. Hanks has selected six new faces for his first game in charge, with wingers Tom Varndell and David Lemi joined in the starting XV by Australian centres Ben Jacobs and Steve Kefu.

Gabriel Bocca and Dan Ward-Smith complete the debutants, starting at tight-head and No.8 respectively. Veteran French flanker Serge Betsen wears the captain's armband and there is plenty of pace and flair in the halfback pairing of Danny Cipriani and Joe Simpson.

With Mike Brown still on the treatment table, Ugo Monye is pressed in to action at fullback for Quins after his summer with the British & Irish Lions. He is joined in the back-three by Gonzalo Camacho, making his Premiership debut, and the fit-again David Strettle.

Will Skinner is skipper for another season and starts in the back-row alongside last season's Guinness Premiership Player of the Year Chris Robshaw and England No.8 Nick Easter.

Danny Care and Nick Evans will be looking to hit the ground running at halfback and there is a settled look to the centres, with Jordan Turner-Hall and Gonzalo Tiesi set to start.

"With an influx of so many new faces this season, it is great to give our players a debut in the Wasps jersey on one of the grandest rugby stages in Twickenham," said Hanks. "There is a huge awareness of the responsibility and expectation that comes of 'being a Wasp' and this acts as great motivation for a team looking to set out their standards and create their own chapter in Wasps history.

"We expect a big battle and relish the challenge ahead of us - facing a Quins side that will be just as eager as us to start the season strong. The feeling amongst our group is good and I am sure that we will see a committed and dedicated performance that will reflect the hard work that has been shown by every single individual on and off pitch in the lead up to this game."

Harlequins: Ugo Monye, David Strettle, Gonzalo Tiesi, Jordan Turner-Hall, Gonzalo Camacho; Nick Evans, Danny Care; Ceri Jones, Gary Botha, Mark Lambert, James Percival, George Robson, Chris Robshaw, Will Skinner (capt), Nick Easter

Replacements: Tani Fuga, Aston Croall, John Andress, Jim Evans, Tom Guest, Steve So'oialo, Rory Clegg, George Lowe

Wasps: Mark Van Gisbergen, Tom Varndell, Ben Jacobs, Steve Kefu, David Lemi; Danny Cipriani, Joe Simpson; Tim Payne, Rob Webber, Gabriel Bocca, George Skivington, Richard Birkett, John Hart, Serge Betsen (capt), Dan Ward-Smith

Replacements: Joe Ward Ben Broster Tom French Dan Leo Hugo Ellis Warren Fury Dave Walder Lachlan Mitchell

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