So'oialo starts for Harlequins
After a hard fought battle against Leicester Tigers at the Stoop, Quins return to their home ground for the second time in two weeks, where they take on Saracens in a local derby on Saturday afternoon.
With two wins already under their belts, both away from Vicarage Road, Saracens are proving a tough side to beat.
Quins though have made just one change to the side which went down 15-9 to the Tigers last weekend. Steve So’oialo will start at scrumhalf, with Gareth Williams coming on to the bench. After impressing in their Guinness Premiership debuts, both Lewis Stevenson and George Lowe retain their places.
Quins’ new summer signing, Josh Drauniniu, takes his place on the Quins bench for his first Guinness Premiership game.
Saracens meanwhile are looking to make it three wins from three in the Guinness Premiership when they travel to Harlequins.
Director of Rugby Brendan Venter has made three changes to his side, bringing in Tom Ryder, Michael Owen and Derick Hougaard to the starting line-up for the game at the Stoop.
Welsh international Owen replaces Wikus van Heerden who has returned to South Africa for a family commitment while Ryder comes in for Hugh Vyvyan. Hougaard is given a full debut ahead of Glen Jackson. Vyvyan and Jackson both take a place on the bench.
Venter said: “It was always our intention to make changes for this game and utilise the full depth of the squad. It’s not a reflection of individual performances, far from it.
“We just need to take sure we fully use our resources and keep everyone as fresh as possible for the season ahead. It does show that we have a very strong squad when we can bring in the likes of Michael and Derick to the side and as I have said many times before, we don’t have a first team and a second team at this club, we have a squad.
“Harlequins are a very good side who are very well coached by John Kingston and their performances in the opening two games don’t reflect the results. It’s going to be a very tough game.”
Each side won its respective home game when Gloucester met Northampton last season, whereas the Saints’ only win at Kingsholm in their last seven visits since 2000 was 26-18 in March 2005.
Gloucester Rugby have won just one of their last six matches in all competitions: 24-5 over Bath at Kingsholm in the Guinness Premiership on 6 September. Gloucester’s only Premiership defeat at Kingsholm since the opening game of the 2008/09 season remains the 6-13 reversal to near neighbours Worcester on 21 April.
The last seven matches that Northampton Saints have played in the Guinness Premiership have all gone the way of the home side on the day, whilst the Saints’ only away victory in the Guinness Premiership since February 2007 was 22-12 at Worcester on 7 March 2009.
The Teams:
Harlequins: 15 Ugo Monye, 14 David Strettle, 13 Tosh Masson, 12 Jordan Turner-Hall, 11 George Lowe, 10 Nick Evans, 9 Steve So’oialo, 8 Nick Easter, 7 Will Skinner, 6 Chris Robshaw, 5 Jim Evans, 4 Lewis Stevenson, 3 Mark Lambert, 2 Gary Botha, 1 Ceri Jones
Replacements: 16 Aston Croall, 17 Tani Fuga, 18 John Andress, 19 Tom Guest, 20 Neil McMillan, 21 Gareth Williams, 22 Rory Clegg, 23 Josh Drauniniu
Saracens: 15 Alex Goode, 14 Noah Cato, 13 Kameli Ratuvou, 12 Brad Barritt, 11 Chris Wyles, 10 Derick Hougaard, 9 Neil de Kock, 8 Ernst Joubert, 7 Andy Saull, 6 Michael Owen, 5 Tom Ryder, 4 Steve Borthwick (captain), 3 Carlos Nieto, 2 Schalk Brits, 1 Rhys Gill
Replacements: 16 Fabio Ongaro, 17 Tom Mercey, 18 Richard Skuse, 19 Hugh Vyvyan, 20 Justin Melck, 21 Justin Marshall, 22 Glen Jackson, 23 Richard Haughton
Date: Saturday 19 September
Venue: Madejski Stadium
Time: 15:00 (14:00 GMT)
Referee: David Rose (71st Premiership game)
