Harlequins v Wasps: Teams

Danny Cipriani will make his first start for Wasps since recovering from a fractured fibula in Sunday's showdown with Harlequins at Twickenham.

The England international has been selected at fly-half as one of three changes made by director of rugby Tony Hanks.

Elsewhere, Steve Kefu comes in to bolster the midfield while Dominic Waldouck moves to outside centre.

However all eyes will be on Cipriani in the London derby as he makes his 80th appearance for the club but just his sixth start of the current campaign.

Extra edge

"There is always an extra edge in these local London derbies," said Hanks.

"We have come through three games in eleven days with some positive performances and results over Leicester and Bayonne and this fixture marks the beginning of a block of three Premiership fixtures which will be important in consolidating us as a contender in the league.

"Our selection again shows the competition and strength within the squad. We have picked the team based on the type of game we anticipate against Quins and believe this is the right game and right time for Danny Cipriani to come back.

"What is pleasing is that, over the last few weeks, Dave Walder has really set the bar high in terms of the standards and expectations of a Wasps fly-half and we are very fortunate to have that wealth of talent at ten which enables us to rotate and use different combinations."

Walder is named on the bench along with Bob Baker and Dan Leo, with the pair coming in for Gabriel Bocca and Richard Birkett, the latter currently recovering from a minor knee injury sustained against Bayonne.

Fresh Quins

Quins have also freshened up their line-up from the side that faced Sale in the Heineken Cup last time out.

In the forwards, Ceri Jones returns to the front row and Chris Robshaw re-joins captain Will Skinner and Nick Easter in the back-row.

The 'home' team also have a pair of returning England stars themselves - Danny Care coming straight back in at scrum-half following a two-week absence while David Strettle is named on the wing.

Nils Mordt and Gonzalo Tiesi have been chosen as the centre pairing as Quins look to maintain their recent good run of form in domestic action.

But while they have only lost one of their last four outings in the Guinness Premiership, they have won just two of six previous league matches to be played at Twickenham.

Harlequins: 15 Mike Brown, 14 David Strettle, 13 Gonzalo Tiesi, 12 Nils Mordt, 11 Ugo Monye, 10 Nick Evans, 9 Danny Care, 8 Nick Easter, 7 Will Skinner (c), 6 Chris Robshaw, 5 George Robson, 4 Lewis Stevenson, 3 Mark Lambert, 2 Tani Fuga, 1 Ceri Jones.
Replacements: 16 Chris Brooker, 17 Aston Croall, 18 John Andress, 19 James Percival, 20 Tom Guest, 21 Karl Dickson, 22 Rory Clegg, 23 George Lowe.

London Wasps: 15 Mark Van Gisbergen, 14 Paul Sackey, 13 Dominic Waldouck, 12 Steve Kefu, 11 David Lemi, 10 Danny Cipriani, 9 Joe Simpson, 8 Dan Ward-Smith, 7 Serge Betsen (C), 6 John Hart, 5 George Skivington, 4 Simon Shaw, 3 Ben Broster, 2 Rob Webber, 1 Tim Payne.
Replacements: 16 Joe Ward, 17 Martin Rice, 18 Bob Baker, 19 Dan Leo, 20 Will Matthews, 21 Mark Robinson, 22 Dave Walder, 23 Ben Jacobs.