The highly anticipated London Derby in the Gallagher Premiership will unfold as Harlequins play host to Saracens under the lights at Twickenham Stoop on Saturday.
In what should be an electrifying showdown, we will see the current league leaders square off against the reigning champions in a match featuring a plethora of international talent on both sides.
Match preview
© Reuters
The return of the England players sets the stage for a headline battle here as Marcus Smith and Owen Farrell prepare to go head-to-head, vying for bragging rights in the heart of the nation's capital.
After a disappointing campaign in 2022-23, when they finished in sixth place, Harlequins have been very impressive this term and come into this match at the top of the pile with 19 points after the first five rounds.
Securing their fourth consecutive win in the Premiership, Harlequins clinched a 29-25 victory against Leicester at Welford Road last week, with Dino Lamb's try in the final 10 minutes proving to be the decisive moment.
While the visitors have been the superior side in this contest over the recent past, the hosts did win the last two meetings at this venue, including a 36-29 victory at the start of October in the Premiership Rugby Cup.
© Reuters
Meanwhile, the returning England players wasted no time showcasing their prowess post-Rugby World Cup, as they displayed their class for Saracens in a compelling performance last Sunday.
Fair to say, Sarries, who looked very poor earlier in the season without their international stars, seem to have regained their form by pulling off a convincing 50-12 victory over Newcastle Falcons at Kingston Park last week.
Theo Dan, who stepped in for the rested Jamie George, led the way for his side with a two-try performance, while fellow World Cup semi-finalist Elliot Daly also got his name on the scoresheet.
That marked Sarries' third win of the competition and took them to 14 points, including two bonus points, and they will now look to hunt down the sides above them, having been restored to their full complement.
Harlequins Gallagher Premiership form:
- L
- W
- W
- W
- W
Harlequins form (all competitions):
- W
- L
- W
- W
- W
- W
Saracens Gallagher Premiership form:
- L
- L
- W
- W
- W
Saracens form (all competitions):
- W
- L
- L
- W
- W
- W
Team News
© Reuters
After his two tries last week, Lamb should retain his place in the back row alongside George Hammond, Joe Launchbury and William Evans, with Alex Drombrant at the back of the pack.
Smith and Will Porter are likely to keep their places in the halves pairing, while Andre Esterhuizen will be hoping to make the starting 15 after coming on early in the second half of the last match for Lennox Anyanwu.
Alex Lozowski and Nick Tompkins dominated the midfield battle last week, and the pair are expected to combine again in this one as they look to overcome their old enemy.
Alex Lewington's good performance, which included a first-half try could earn him another start on the wing with Sean Maitland on the opposite flank and Daly at full-back.
Harlequins starting lineup: 15. Nick David, 14. Tyrone Green, 13. Oscar Beard, 12. Andre Esterhuizen, 11. Louis Lynagh, 10. Marcus Smith, 9. Danny Care, 8. Alex Dombrandt, 7. Will Evans, 6. Dino Lamb, 5. George Hammond, 4. Joe Launchbury, 3. Will Collier, 2. Sam Riley, 1. Joe Marler
Replacements: 16. Jack Walker, 17. Fin Baxter, 18.Dillon Lewis, 19.Irne Philip Herbst, 20. James Chisholm, 21. Will Porter, 22. Jarrod Evans, 23. Lennox Anyanwu
Saracens starting lineup: 15. Elliot Daly, 14. Sean Maitland, 13. Alex Lozowski, 12. Nick Tompkins, 11. Alex Lewington, 10. Owen Farrell, 9. Ivan Van Zyl, 8. Tom Willis, 7. Andy Christie, 6. Juan Martin Gonzalez, 5. Hugh Tizard, 4. Callum Hunter-Hill, 3. Alec Clarey, 2. Theo Dan, 1. Eroni Mawi
Replacements: 16. James Hadfield, 17. Tom West, 18. Christian Judge, 19. Ollie Stonham, 20. Billy Vunipola, 21. Gareth Simpson, 22. Manu Vunipola, 23. Lucio Cinti
We say: Harlequins 26-32 Saracens
Sarries struggled earlier in the competition, with several of their players away on international duty. However, with big names returning last week, we saw what they are capable of as they proved to be far too strong for The Falcons. We are expecting the visitors to continue their upward trajectory with another win here.
No Data Analysis info
Devesh Jaganath
