Marler set for Quins milestone, Esterhuizen returns

October 14, 2022
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Ultimate Rugby

Harlequins stalwart Joe Marler is in line to make his 250th appearance for Harlequins this Sunday as he leads out the Club in front of a sold out Stoop as Leicester Tigers travel to South West London.

This Sunday’s fixture, live on BT Sport, 15:00 kick-off, also marks the return of Springbok centre Andre Esterhuizen. The five-times-capped South African centre returns to reclaim a starting berth at inside centre as he makes his 50th appearance in the Famous Quarters since arriving in 2020.

Aside from Esterhuizen’s return Quins’ coaches have left an unchanged starting line-up to the side that claimed a dramatic 35-29 victory over Northampton Saints during Round Four.

Returning from injury, hooker George Head will look to make his first matchday appearance since Round Three from amongst the Impact Players. The bench remains otherwise unchanged for Quins this week.

Commenting, Head Coach Tabai Matson said: “First and foremost, a huge congratulations to Joe for his 250th and Andre for his 50th appearances this week. They are two monumentally physical players that have given everything to the Club from their first games in the jersey.

“Leicester are the incumbent champions, so we’re looking forward to bouncing back to The Stoop after a week without a game.

“They’ve lost two in a row and so we’re expecting a massive spring back from them this week so we have to be at our best. We’ve had a weekend off and we can’t use that as an excuse to start slow.

“Also, their game is attritional and effective. They’re in for the long haul. Their discipline is relentless and it’s a long old season so you can see them still being in contention for the title at the end of the league. So, we’ve got to have a good game plan on Sunday to put them under pressure.”

Harlequins Starting XV

1. Joe Marler – Captain

2. Jack Musk

3. Wilco Louw

4. Dino Lamb

5. Irne Herbst

6. Jack Kenningham

7. Will Evans

8. Archie White

9. Danny Care

10. Marcus Smith

11. Cadan Murley