Sale v Harlequins: Teams

Sale Sharks will hand summer signing Matty James his first Aviva Premiership start when Harlequins visit Edgeley Park on Friday.

James, who arrived at the Sharks from Manawatu, will wear the No.10 jersey with Nick MacLeod shuffling across to inside centre.

England winger Mark Cueto also returns to the backline at the expense of teenager Tom Brady, while Chris Bell partners MacLeod in a new-look midfield.

In the pack, Eifion Lewis Roberts, Marc Jones and Jack Forster come into the front row, whole Wame Lewaravu teams up with skipper James Gaskell in the engine room.

And head coach Mike Brewer believes it is vital for his pack to dominate the game to silence the dangermen in the Quins side.

Brewer said: "They've got key players in the 8-9-10 channel with Nick Easter, Danny Care and Nick Evans and they're strong at the back with Mike Brown.

Wonderful

"We've got to stop them playing, and that will be the responsibility of the tight five in the pack.

"Danny's a wonderful little player, and I remember Nick as a young guy in New Zealand. The best way to stop a nine and ten playing is to dominate their pack."

Despite Brewer's assessment, Harlequins have named Easter in the second row for the trip to the Sharks.

The decision to switch Easter to the second row follows discussions with England manager Martin Johnson, with Tom Guest having been handed the No.8 shirt.

Quins have also named former Lions centre Ollie Smith in the centres for the clash, with Matt Cairns and James Johnston called into the pack.

Sale Sharks: 15 Paul Williams, 14 Ben Cohen, 13 Chris Bell, 12 Nick Macleod, 11 Mark Cueto, 10 Matty James, 9 Dwayne Peel, 8 Sisa Koyamaibole, 7 David Seymour, 6 Carl Fearns, 5 James Gaskell (capt), 4 Wame Lewaravu, 3 Jack Forster, 2 Marc Jones, 1 Eifion Lewis Roberts.
Replacements: 16 Neil Briggs, 17 Andrew Sheridan, 18 Aston Croall, 19 Nic Rouse, 20 Kristian Ormsby, 21 Chris Leck, 22 Kyle Tonetti, 23 Tom Brady.

Harlequins: 15 Mike Brown, 14 Tom Williams, 13 Ollie Smith, 12 Jordan Turner-Hall, 11 George Lowe, 10 Nick Evans, 9 Danny Care, 8 Tom Guest, 7 Will Skinner, 6 Chris Robshaw (capt), 5 Tomas Vallejos, 4 Nick Easter, 3 James Johnston, 2 Matt Cairns, 1 Ceri Jones.
Replacements: 16 Chris Brooker, 17 Joe Marler, 18 Mark Lambert, 19 Ollie Kohn, 20 Pete Browne, 21 Karl Dickson, 22 Rory Clegg, 23 Gonzalo Camacho.