Sale Sharks & Harlequins Name Their Teams For First Premiership Restart Game
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Rugby is back.
Manu Tuilagi and Sam Hill are set to make their Sale Sharks debuts in a squad that contains four World Cup finalists as #RugbyReturns tomorrow night at the Twickenham Stoop – Live on BT Sport 2, kick-off 7:45 pm
Sale Sharks Director of Rugby Steve Diamond has named the 23-man squad that will travel south to face Harlequins tomorrow evening in the highly anticipated return of the Gallagher Premiership.
Diamond names new signings Manu Tuilagi and Sam Hill in the starting line up alongside World Cup winner Lood de Jager, who will make his full club debut at the Stoop on Friday Night.
Coenie Oosthuizen, Akker van der Merwe and Will-Griff John make up a heavyweight Sharks front row for the trip to Twickenham, with an all-South African combination of Jean-Luc du Preez and Lood de Jager providing power and experience behind them.
Club Captain Jono Ross resumes his usual position at blindside flanker and is joined in a powerful back-row by internationals Tom Curry and Daniel du Preez.
World Cup winner Faf de Klerk makes his first start for the club since January, after recovering from a knee strain and will form a familiar partnership with Rob du Preez as the Sharks kick things off in London on Friday night.
New signings Sam Hill and Manu Tuilagi are named together for the first time in a powerful midfield and have an experienced back three of Byron McGuigan, Marland Yarde and Simon Hammersley outside them.
Sale Sharks team:
1. Coenie Oosthuizen
2. Akker van der Merwe
3. Will-Griff John
4. Jean-Luc du Preez
5. Lood de Jager
6. Jono Ross (Capt.)
7. Tom Curry
8. Daniel du Preez
9. Faf de Klerk
10. Rob du Preez
11. Marland Yarde
12. Sam Hill
13. Manu Tuilagi
14. Byron McGuigan
15. Simon Hammersley
Replacements:
16. Curtis Langdon
17. Ross Harrison
18. Jake Cooper-Woolley
19. James Phillips
20. Ben Curry
21. Will Cliff
22. AJ MacGinty
23. Denny Solomona.
Mike Brown and Nathan Earle meanwhile will return to Harlequins’ matchday squad together for the first time in 489 days when they run out against Sale.
Chris Ashton makes his debut against his old club and joins Brown and Earle in a side restored of key names with centre Joe Marchant also returning from his stint at the Blues.
Off the bench Harlequins will unleash the first of the club’s summer signings, with scrum-half Scott Steele donning the 22 jersey as Head of Rugby Paul Gustard opts for a 6-2 split on the bench.
Harlequins team:
1. Joe Marler (201)
2. Scott Baldwin (11)
3. Simon Kerrod (20)
4. Stephan Lewies (13)
5. Matt Symons (41)
6. James Chisholm (89)
7. Chris Robshaw (Captain) (292)
8. Alex Dombrandt (44)
9. Martin Landajo (15)
10. Marcus Smith (79)
11. Nathan Earle (23)
12. James Lang (59)
13. Joe Marchant (85)
14. Chris Ashton (0)
15. Mike Brown (327)
Replacements:
16. Joe Gray (153)
17. Santiago Garcia Botta (15)
18. Will Collier (170)
19. Dino Lamb (26)
20. Tom Lawday (12)
21. Will Evans (13)
22. Scott Steele (0)
23. Paul Lasike (22)