Director of rugby Dai Young hands first Wasps starts of the season to Ben Morris, Joe Simpson and Marcus Watson as the club play Newcastle Falcons at Kingston Park on Friday.
There are six changes to the starting 15 from Saturday’s win against Sale Sharks.
New signing Morris replaces Nathan Hughes, who is named among the replacements alongside Elliot Daly and Dan Robson, the trio having been involved in England’s training camp this week. Morris joins captain Ashley Johnson and Nizaam Carr, who moves to number eight, in the back row.
📣 TEAM NEWS: Director of rugby Dai Young names his side to face @FalconsRugby in @GallagherUK_ @PremRugby at Kingston Park on Friday.
Full story at: https://t.co/pUJGl0gnwV pic.twitter.com/myDAa3cwB1
— Wasps Rugby (@WaspsRugby) September 27, 2018
Simpson swaps in for Robson, to form the half back partnership with Lima Sopoaga. Outside them Juan De Jongh replaces Daly, having passed his HIA protocols, to partner Michael Le Bourgeois in the centres.
Watson returns from illness last week to replace Christian Wade on the wing and is joined in the back three by Josh Bassett and Rob Miller, replacing Willie Le Roux who is on Springbok duty.
Tom Cruse rotates with Tommy Taylor and is joined by an unchanged prop pairing of Zurabi Zhvania and Will Stuart in the front row. Behind them Will Rowlands and James Gaskell form the lock partnership for the second week in a row.
Daly, Hughes and Robson are joined on a powerful bench by Taylor, Ben Harris, Kieran Brookes, Kearnan Myall and Billy Searle.
Wasps team to play Newcastle Falcons at Kingston Park on Friday September 28 (7:45pm kick off)
15 Rob Miller
14 Marcus Watson
13 Juan De Jongh
12 Michael Le Bourgeois
11 Josh Bassett
10 Lima Sopoaga
9 Joe Simpson
1 Zurabi Zhvania
2 Tom Cruse
3 Will Stuart
4 Will Rowlands
5 James Gaskell
6 Ashley Johnson (c)
7 Ben Morris
8 Nizaam Carr
Replacements
16 Tommy Taylor
17 Ben Harris
18 Kieran Brookes
19 Kearnan Myall
20 Nathan Hughes
21 Dan Robson
22 Billy Searle
23 Elliot Daly