Premiership: Harlequins handed Joe Marler boost for Newcastle Falcons clash

England front-row Joe Marler will start for Harlequins after returning from England camp As Newcastle travel to the Stoop.

Marler and fellow Test prop, Springbok Wilco Louw, will start together for Quins for the first time since the 2020/21 Premiership final as the club lifted their second league title. Promoted to the starting XV this week, Harlequins Academy hooker Sam Riley completes the front row this week.

Italian fly-half Tommy Allan and wing Louis Lynagh complete the five changes to the starting side that claimed a 21-29 victory over Worcester Warriors a week ago.

A further change to the matchday 23 sees centre Luke Northmore return to fitness following a short stint on the sidelines.

Meanwhile, centre Pete Lucock comes into the Newcastle Falcons starting line-up in place of Matias Orlando, whom he replaced in the first half of last weekend’s game against Bath due to a head knock.

Injuries to back-rowers Connor Collett and Gary Graham see a reshuffled pack in which Sean Robinson slides back to blindside flanker, with academy graduates Rob Farrar and Tom Marshall added to the starting XV. Former Scotland U20s cap Marshall is making his first Premiership start, with ex-England U20s lock Farrar starting for the third time in top-flight league action.

Newcastle’s depth in the back five of the pack has been tested with the suspension of Callum Chick, the recent retirement of Mark Wilson and the unavailability through injury of players including Will Welch, Carl Fearns, Philip van der Walt and Marco Fuser.

On the bench there could be a Premiership debut for 22-year-old back-rower Freddie Lockwood, whose only other senior appearance came as a late replacement during last season’s European Challenge Cup victory away to