Premiership team news: Marcus Smith returns for ‘Big Game 11’ while Ben Te’o finally starts for Worcester

Harlequins take on Wasps in their festive fixture at Twickenham in front of what is set to be a sold-out attendance, while Worcester start Te’o for the first time this season

Marcus Smith returns to the Harlequins starting line-up (Getty)

Marcus Smith has been trusted to lead Harlequins out in front of what is set to be a sold-out Twickenham Stadium after the young fly-half was restored to the starting line-up for ‘Big Game 11’ against Wasps this Saturday.

Nineteen-year-old Smith has not started Harlequins’ last four matches as head of rugby Paul Gustard gave James Lang a strong run in the first team, but with more than 79,000 tickets already sold for the festive fixture at Twickenham, the once England ‘apprentice’ returns to the side along with half-back partner Danny Care, himself back from a three-week rest.

There is plenty riding on the 11th instalment of Quins’ annual move across the A316 to Twickenham, more than just the match points on offer to pull away from the thrilling relegation battle that has developed this season.

Wasps, it feels, are very much in limbo. Amid reports that three of their best players in Elliot Daly, Nathan Hughes and Willie le Roux are poised to leave the club, their place in the top four that has come with the move to Coventry looks increasingly vulnerable. Last weekend, Dai Young even apologised to the near-record fan turnout at the Ricoh Arena that had to watch their defeat by Bath, which leaves them eight points off the top three, level on points with fifth-placed Quins and just a point ahead of Bath and Leicester Tigers – a club supposedly on the brink of a crisis.

That they are eight points above bottom-place Newcastle Falcons a game away from the half-way stage of the season should be of real concern, given what was expected of them this year. Add the already-departed Christian Wade to the trio of potential exits and Wasps look to be a side going in nothing other than the wrong direction.

On the flip side, Quins look to be on the up. Gone is the John Kingston era that players revealed last season had gone stale, and in Gustard a leash of new life has been blown into the south-west corner of London. Kyle Sinckler is playing the best rugby of his career, Mike Brown’s England career could well reignite in the 15 shirt against Ireland when the Six Nations kicks off in five weeks’ time and –while it has not been a drastic turnaround – the chance to move back into the top four in front of a packed Twickenham is not one that they could have dreamed of last season.

The return of Smith and Care are two of four changes in total for Quins as Francis Saili starts at inside centre and Ben Glynn is brought into the second row, with lock George Merrick dropping to the bench and centre Paul Lasike left out completely. The game has also come too soon for England flanker Chris Robshaw to return from the knee injury that sidelined him for the entire autumn international campaign, though the former international captain is nearing a comeback.

Wasps also make four changes, with Dan Robson starting his first match since returning from a long-term ankle injury suffered in early October. He joins Lima Sopoaga, the All Blacks fly-half, in the side while recent acquisition Michele Campagnaro starts at centre after completing his move from Exeter, with Elliot Daly moved to the wing to replace the injured Ross Neal. With Ashley Johnson also injured, Tom Cruse starts at hooker and England back-row Brad Shields captains the side, with international teammate Nathan Hughes absent due to a family bereavement that has seen him return to Fiji.

Ben Te'o makes his first start of the season for Worcester Warriors (Getty)

Another England star who has not recovered in time to feature this weekend is Billy Vunipola, despite Saracens hoping to have the No 8 back from his latest broken arm before the end of 2018. That will not happen after he was left out of the Saracens side that will host Worcester this weekend, and with captain Brad Barritt also ruled out, director of rugby Mark McCall has been forced into a reshuffle.

Alex Lozowski moves back to his more accustomed position in the centre with Sean Maitland returning on the wing, with Owen Farrell named captain in Barritt’s absence, while in the pack Will Skelton starts with George Kruis at lock as Nick Isiekwe moves to blindside flanker in the absence of Michael Rhodes.

Worcester meanwhile have the rarity of naming Ben Te’o in the starting line-up for the first time this season, with the New Zealand-born England centre one of four new faces in the side that will attempt to distance themselves from Newcastle at the foot of the table. With form-player Ryan Mills sidelined with a wrist injury, Te’o starts at inside centre having played just 28 minutes for Worcester this season, a figure in stark contrast to his 217 minutes for England during the autumn – after which he was afford a three-week break by Worcester before being left out of selection last weekend.

Perry Humpreys starts on the wing in place of Josh Adams, while in the pack Gareth Milasinovich and Ted Hill start with Nick Schonert and Marco Mama joining Adams and Mills on the unavailable list.

Vunipola is not yet fit enough to return from a fractured arm (Reuters)

Gloucester meanwhile are adjusting for life without Danny Cipriani, the first week of which saw Billy Twelvetrees step up to kick them to victory over Newcastle. The Cherry & Whites make five changes for this weekend’s visit of Sale Sharks to Kingsholm, although Owen Williams remains in the side having escaped any disciplinary action for an alleged eye-gouge on Newcastle’s Gary Graham that was not punished after last weekend’s fiery affair.

Captain Willi Heinz returns at scrum-half to partner Williams, while both Matt Banahan and Henry Trinder return to the back line, and in the back Fraser Balmain and Jaco Kriel start in place of Ciaran Knight and Freddie Clarke as Lewis Ludlow moves from openside to blindside flanker. Sale remain unchanged from last weekend’s win over Bristol, but head to Gloucester knowing they have not won on the road in the Premiership since March.

Bath make just one change for their battle of the fallen heavyweights on Sunday against Leicester as Matt Garvey returns to co-captain the side from the second-row in place of Dave Attwood, while Leicester make three changes in the pack as Jake Kerr starts at hooker, Graham Kitchener at lock and Brendan O’Connor in the back-row in place of Tatafu-Polota-Nau, Will Spencer and Guy Thompson respectively.