Cipriani handed Wasps start
Enigmatic London Wasps and England flyhalf Danny Cipriani has been handed the ideal Christmas present - he will start in the No.10 shirt for Wasps in their Guinness Premiership clash against Harlequins on Sunday.
Making three changes to the Wasps starting line-up that secured a second successive win over Bayonne in the Amlin Challenge Cup last week, Director of Rugby Tony Hanks has named Steve Kefu in midfield, with Dominic Waldouck moving to outside centre, and Cipriani returning at No.10.
Cipriani, who has had an indifferent past 18 months due to injuries and rumours about his supposed off-field distractions, makes only his sixth start of the season - his 80th club appearance overall - and first start since recovering from a fractured fibula.
On the bench, Bob Baker and Dan Leo come in for Gabriel Bocca and Richard Birkett, respectively, the latter recovering from a minor knee injury sustained against Bayonne. They are named alongside Dave Walder and Ben Jacobs who switch with Cipriani and Kefu, respectively.
Looking ahead to Sunday's fixture at England Rugby HQ, Hanks said: "There is always an extra edge in these local London Derbies and Wasps v Harlequins games are always highly-competitive and entertaining.
"We are all looking forward to the challenge and we know Quins' quality and league focus as they really start to match the form that took them to the Guinness Premiership semifinal last year."
Speaking about his team's own form - which sees them occupy fifth place on the GP standings - Hanks continued: "We have come through three games in 11 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 10 which enables us to rotate and use different combinations.
"There is always a special feel to the Christmas fixture - supporters bring that festive mood and upbeat sense of anticipation which really rubs off on the teams," he added.
"Playing at Twickenham in front of a big crowd will only add to that and I think it is really positive for the game that club's are taking to the big stages like Twickenham and Wembley.
"With our own St George's Day Game coming up at Twickenham I think it shows a real health of rugby in the northern hemisphere game at the moment."
Opposing Cipriani on Sunday will be none other than All Blacks flyhalf Nick Evans - who will team up with England No.9 Danny Care at halfback for Harlequins.
The quicksilver Care is one of four England internationals in the Quins backline, with Nick Easter (No.8) and Chris Robshaw (No.6) the men with Test experience up front.
Openside flanker Will Skinner will once again lead Harlequins into battle and his duel with former French ace Serge Betsen on the ground should be worth the entry fee at Twickenham alone.
The teams:
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 (captain), 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 (captain), 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.
Date: Sunday, December 27
Venue: Twickenham
Kick-off: 16.15
Referee: Dave Pearson
Assistant referees: Roy Maybank, Stuart Terheege
Television match official: John Burtenshaw, Geoff Warren