This is always a tense fixture with plenty of rivalry between the teams, who have played a number of exciting and entertaining games in recent years, and this match, the season opener, is just as likely to be enthralling.  The big question is whether Harlequins can emulate their tremendous success from last year which culminating in their best season finishes for many years. Can The Mighty Quins repeat or indeed match that exceptional performance this year, a performance that surprised many which included;

• Middlesex 7's out right winners
• topped the Premiership for a number of weeks
• Runner up - second the Guinness Premiership  
• the Top London Rugby Club
• Stunning back to back wins against Stade Francais in the HC
• Reaching the HC Quarter Finals and losing by just one point to the eventual winners
• Increased presence in both the England Elite and Saxon Squads
• Ugo playing for England and his rightful selection as a Lion, which was handsomely repaid as he became the Lions top try scorer

Despite this success all the rugby pundits have downgraded their expectations for Harlequins and expect them to be “also ran’s” very few suggest anything higher than 7^th or 8^th place at the end of the season. The Times suggested 9^th, so we can look forward to them all being proved wrong.  The team will certainly have this as a strong motivator. They all have conveniently forgotten the achievements on the pitch last year. Unlike many clubs, including Wasps, we have not undertaken root and branch surgery of the playing squad, and have achieved very little player turnover. It is true the biggest loss will probably be Mike Ross, but he will not be missed in the season opener against Wasps as despite the introduction of the new laws pertaining to scrums, we all fully expect to go to uncontested scrums somewhere between the 60^th and 65^th minute of the match.

We have also lost a great motivator and firm favorite in Gommarsall BUT the recruiting has shown sound reinforcement, as we have already seen in the pre season matches, The addition of Rory Clegg is a sound investment, with the skills he has already shown, The addition of Camacho on the wing – another excellent signing, together with the contingent from Exeter Andress, Stevenson, and Drauniniu together with scrum half Dickson from Bedford, who unfortunately broke his leg in the Middlesex 7’s.   We still have most the same playing squad and the same coaching team as last year. Our season has also started positively on the field. Runner up in the Middlesex 7's plate competition and three wins out of three in the pre season friendlies against some stiff opposition. A win against Connacht at The Stoop, 15-14, saw the younger members of the squad have a run out. A week later against Edinburgh a fine 16-33 away win after a stodgy first half. We saw a different team in the second half as they took control and seized the game. Finally, last Saturday against Cornish Pirates 47-17 Sunshine rugby at The Stoop which saw Quins score seven tries, from and essentially first choice starting lineup, although Masson replaced the injured Turner Hall. Strettle, Monye, Car and Easter all had a good game. Evans was free of strapping and kicked well, as did his replacement Clegg and Armstrong looks to be a very useful flanker and Camacho scored a wonderful try. It is expected that most of the team that started last weekend will start in Saturday at Twickenham. With Brown out for a few more weeks due to injury and Monye likely to be rested following the Lions tour the position of Full back is still to be decided, it is possible that Nick Evans will fill this slot allowing Clegg to start at 10.

Compared to recent years Wasps had a woeful season last year, and I recall they looked very poor against London Irish in the LDH last year. Harlequins were in the ascendant, Wasps were definitely in the descendant after propping up the table for most of the year they finally struggled to achieve 7^th position. Wasps were faced with a number of high profile player departures in, Haskell, Palmer, Flutey, Voyce, Reddan, Lewsey, Staunton and Ibanez. Although they have recruited from the Bristol and Saracens fire sale, Ward-Smith still has to prove himself and whilst Lemi and Varndell have speed, they lack the skills in other areas of the game. The new team has yet to gel and with injuries to Skivington, Sackey and Rees, a two week ban for Shaw, and Worsley and Vickery out due to the enforced rest after the Lions tour, Wasps will struggle to hit the ground running. They lost their final pre season match away to Glasgow last weekend, and coupled with the fact that Wasps are always late starters the omens look good for a Harlequins win on Saturday. The Wasp’s board has highlighted a concern that a lot of their big name players have not had much game time in the pre season matches, and their motivation may be lacking.   The Wasp coaching staff watched the Quins v Pirates game last Saturday so they will know some of what to expect this weekend.  The biggest dilemma will be who they play at No 10 Walder or Cipriani, and indeed this may too affect who Quins choose for that position. Faux celebrity Cipriani is returning from surgery and only managed 30 minutes in the loss at Glasgow, but neither have had much game time. If he starts I m sure he will relish the opportunity of playing at Twickenham again and will look forward to the return match at Christmas, because as we know there is only one Danny C that we will see in an England shirt at Twickenham this year and he plays at scrum half.

Being the first Premiership match for both teams there are bound to be errors, but the two teams both have something to prove. Although Wasps are used to playing at Twickenham their habitual slow start to the season will continue and I predict a win for Harlequins, with Wasps fighting to try and secure a bonus point before the final whistle.

There has been speculation the a number of message boards this week regarding which song Harlequins should run out to on Saturday, it is very unlikely that there will be a late substitution for “The Mighty Quinn” but if there is a change I have it on good authority that the PA will play The Beatles “Let It Be”

Saturday September 5^th - the day Harlequins’ Rugby does the talking!

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