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Harlequins’ coaching group has made one change this week ahead of the must-win game against Gloucester at Big Summer Kick-Off.
Will Collier returns to the starting line-up at tighthead prop this week as Wilco Louw takes up a spot amongst the Impact Players, with an otherwise unchanged starting line-up from the side that travelled to Northampton Saints last month.
Amongst the Impact Players, promising youngster Matas Jurevicius takes up the 19 jersey, with openside Will Evans returning from a rib injury sustained against Montpellier. Evans, who returned from a long-term injury against London Irish in the Premiership Cup earlier this season, will make his first Gallagher Premiership appearance of the season.
Sat third in the table, Harlequins look to guarantee their place in the semi-finals with a win over sixth-placed Gloucester on Saturday with two rounds left of the regular season.
The team head to Twickenham Stadium for the first-ever Big Summer Kick-Off event unbeaten in their last five appearances at the home of English rugby.
Commenting, Head Coach Tabai Matson said: “Heading into another big event at Twickenham Stadium, we couldn’t have asked for much better weather this week. The Big Summer Kick-Off is well and truly in swing.
“We’ve had a couple of weeks without games that we’ve been able to treat as a sort of mini pre-season. You want to be peaking at this point in the season and that’s given us the chance to be as fit as we can be at this stage. This weekend is pretty much a quarter final for us against Gloucester. It’s an important game for both teams with regards to playoff rugby. Our performance on Saturday will be crucial.
“I think our game against Gloucester earlier this season was probably one of our grittiest of the campaign. You have to be at your best when you play a team like that. They way they play, they are really pragmatic and have a fantastic scrum. Their maul is the best in the league. It will be more of the same on Saturday. It will be a contrast of styles and we’ll need to make sure we don’t let them into the game early and suffer the consequences.”
Harlequins Starting XV
1. Simon Kerrod
2. Jack Walker
3. Will Collier
4. Matt Symons
5. Hugh Tizard
6. Stephan Lewies (c)
7. Tom Lawday
8. Alex Dombrandt
9. Danny Care
10. Marcus Smith
11. Cadan Murley
12. Andre Esterhuizen
13. Joe Marchant
14. Louis Lynagh
15. Huw Jones
Impact Players
16. Jack Musk
17. Joe Marler
18. Wilco Louw
19. Matas Jurevicius
20. Will Evans
21. Lewis Gjaltema
22. Tommy Allan
23. Nick David -
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Gloucester Rugby
15. Santiago Carreras
14. Louis Rees-Zammit *
13. Chris Harris
12. Giorgi Kveseladze
11. Ollie Thorley *
10. Adam Hastings
9. Charlie Chapman *
1. Val Rapava-Ruskin
2. Santiago Socino
3. Kirill Gotovtsev
4. Freddie Clarke *
5. Matias Alemanno
6. Ruan Ackermann
7. Lewis Ludlow * (c)
8. Ben Morgan
Replacements
16. Jack Singleton
17. Harry Elrington
18. Fraser Balmain
19. Andrew Davidson
20. Jordy Reid
21. Ben Meehan
22. Billy Twelvetrees
23. Tom Seabrook *
*Denotes Academy player or graduate from the Gloucester Rugby Academy. -
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Good to see WEv back (again!). Pretty pleased with that lineup.
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good team, but why is marler not starting?
good to see evans playing
can't wait -
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Not starting Marler??? Is this part of his punishment or a knock or saving him for Chiefs and the semi?
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One hell of a bomb squad Marler, Musk and Louw. And a fresh Wev should be a cracker bring on the sun the fun and the main event.
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Are both Northmore and Green still out injured?
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Hmm. Would be much happier with Marler and Evans starting. But Gloucester's main source of strength is their maul so a bigger than normal back row might help there.
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Are both Northmore and Green still out injured?
and what has happened to Scott Steele? -
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Hmm. Would be much happier with Marler and Evans starting. But Gloucester's main source of strength is their maul so a bigger than normal back row might help there.
Yep. I feel the same.
Still - as others have said, our bench is very good which might be decisive. -
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Are both Northmore and Green still out injured?
Maybe I'm wrong but when it happened I assumed Green's injury was at least season-ending, if not 2022-ending. Looked really severe to me. -
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I expected it to be season ending, but then there have been social media photos since then which don’t obviously hint at surgery or an obvious ongoing problem. Being fit enough to walk around unaided are obviously two very different things, but I’m hoping it’s not an injury that will keep him out beyond this season.
He’s also just had his first kid so he may be taking some time out with his family while he recovers from the injury? -
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He’s also just had his first kid...
It must have been a shock to have given birth to an ungulate... -
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Good lineup. Lewies at 6 presumably to combat Gloucester's lineout and rolling maul which is where the majority of their tries come from.
Strong bench for us today and can see that being the difference.
Great weather. Should be a cracking game. -
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Looks like one of the props - Collier? - pulled something in warmup. Hope I’m wrong but he went in early
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