Preview: Gloucester Rugby v Harlequins

After 2 weeks of European rugby the Aviva Premiership resumes this weekend, and sees Harlequins travelling to Kingsholm to face Gloucester – a fixture that usually results in a home win.

Without the time to resort to Statto mode to check, I think I read somewhere recently that Quins haven't won away to Gloucester since 1999. Certainly in the last few seasons there have been chances to get a rare win at Kingsholm but Quins have run out of steam when it mattered in the later stages. Last year however, there was no steam to begin with, as Quins went down 46 – 6 with an abject display. That game saw James Simpson-Daniel as tormenter-in-chief with 3 tries to his name, which means he's scored 9 of his 102 first team tries against Quins (Statto mode back on).

Simpson-Daniel is without doubt one of the finest outside backs in the country, and were his injury record not so disastrous we would probably be able to mention him as one of the finest in the world – I doubt anyone's been able to keep count of the amount of times he's suffered an injury just prior to an England Autumn test series or 6 Nations. He starts for Gloucester on the right wing, forming a very impressive back 3 with fellow sicknote, Olly Morgan, at full back and relative newcomer Charlie Sharples on the other wing. Most Stoop regulars will remember Sharples scoring 2 tries against us in the fixture last season, and the 21 year old already has 14 tries in 29 competitive starts and is considered more or less a first choice player now, having also made an impression at England U20 level.

Another youngster starts at inside centre  - Henry Trinder – and while he's not made quite the same progress as Sharples he is a genuinely good prospect. He's normally a 13, but with Mike Tindall proving yet again he doesn’t have what it takes to play at 12, Trinder is shoved inside to try and solve Gloucester's injury problems in midfield. Nicky Robinson and Dave Lewis make a pretty formidable partnership at half back, and these two will undoubtedly see to it that the Gloucester backs make the most of the front foot possession they get.

Up front, Gloucester have a pretty decent pack, although Quins may be fortunate in that Attwood and Narraway haven't hit top form this season, and both find themselves on the bench. Paul Doran-Jones starts at tighthead, and his battle with Joe Marler is quite mouth-watering. When Doran-Jones was selected for England last year there was plenty of cynicism directed at what appeared to be a chance to cap him to prevent him from playing for Ireland. However, he looked very comfortable at test level on the summer tour and this represents a great chance for Marler to lay down another marker. The second row sees the gargantuan former Tiger James Hamilton pack down with the athletic Alex Brown; uncompromising grunt from one, and lineout excellence from the other. Alasdair Strokosch will tackle his nads off at blindside, and having been surprisingly left out of the starting XV against Exeter he now appears to be where most Gloucester fans think he should be – starting regularly. Hazel, although a little past his best, will probably continue to do his impression of a human dynamo at openside, whilst Brett Deacon at No.8 is making a good impact having found his chances limited at Leicester before making the summer move to the south-west.

The Harlequins side has a mostly familiar look to it and George Lowe is thankfully given his 13 shirt back. He resumes his partnership with JTH, who is back from a two week break. Incidentally, the Opta stats show that in the premiership these two have missed only 1 tackle from 55 between them; I hope I'm not tempting fate by mentioning it. After making a very good impression last week, Ross Chisholm makes way for Twitter's latest recruit Mike Brown at full back. Brown will no doubt be looking forward to renewing his rivalry with Morgan, and over the last few seasons Brown has always fared well in this fixture. Macho Camacho and Tom Williams continue on the wings and, one or two instances aside, both have looked in good touch so far. Williams will need to be wary of Simpson-Daniel coming in off his wing behind the centres when Gloucester get quick ball in Quins territory, although perhaps Sharples v Camacho is a more intriguing match-up. Nev and Care return to action after a relaxing, sunny weekend in South-west France, and should Quins  get the better of the reffing they could have a big impact on the result, with Care's quick taps and Nev's metronomic boot.

Our thoughts this week are with James Johnston who has sadly had to return home to be with his family at this very difficult time. Be strong James, our thoughts are with you and your family, and we are looking forward to your return.

Chris Brooker gets the nod at hooker while Joe Gray finds himself on the bench after an encouraging display last weekend. Marler will be relishing picking up where he left off before his weekend off, and for the first time he props with John Andress – welcome back, Ursula! How will our scrum go for this game? Perhaps Cairns is a stronger scrummager than Brooker, and Johnston has proved himself to be our best tighthead prior to Ursula's return, so maybe we shouldn't expect too much. In Vallejos and Robson we also are a bit light in second row scrummaging power, although both these players excel in open play. It will be interesting to see how the lineout goes for us – the hooker always gets the blame, but with our lineout captain back and with 4 genuine targets, perhaps things will improve? Maybe not though; Gloucester do have a decent lineout themselves.

Robshaw, Skinner and Easter rolls off the tongue these days, and as usual our back row will be expected to impose their will on the opposition. Leadership will be imperative in this game, and if Quins are to win these three players will need to be at their best.

So can Quins get a rare win at Kingsholm? As with each of the previous 5 premiership games discipline will ultimately be the key. I can't see us winning if we get on the wrong side of the ref, but if we can keep the penalty count against us to around 10 then we certainly have the fight and the talent to come away with 4 points. It wouldn't be a surprise if either side scored 4 tries, so the winner may well get the bonus point too. Good luck Quins.