Vereniki Goneva is back for Newcastle Falcons as they play host to Wasps in their Premiership clash at Kingston Park Stadium on Friday.
The reigning Premiership player of the season returns after two weeks out through injury, Samoan international Sinoti Sinoti coming back onto the other wing after missing last week’s visit of Exeter Chiefs.
Fijian international Tevita Cavubati comes in at lock in the only other change from the side which became the first this season to take a losing bonus point from the unbeaten Chiefs, and the first to prevent them from scoring a four-try bonus point.
USA international Paul Mullen could be set for his Premiership debut after being named among the replacements, the tighthead having scored for Newcastle’s second-string during their 54-13 home Shield win over Leicester Tigers on Monday.
Meanwhile, Wasps director of rugby Dai Young hands first starts of the season to Ben Morris, Joe Simpson and Marcus Watson.
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.
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.
Form: Newcastle Falcons have won just one of their last six Gallagher Premiership Rugby matches. Newcastle have lost their last three matches at Kingston Park since beating Sale there on 13th April. Wasps only defeat so far this season was at home to Exeter in round 2 whilst their only defeat away from home since April was in last season’s semi-final at Saracens. Wasps are unbeaten in their last ten fixtures with Falcons in Gallagher Premiership Rugby since May 2012, a sequence which includes one draw at Kingston Park in February 2015.
The teams:
Newcastle: 15 Simon Hammersley, 14 Vereniki Goneva, 13 Chris Harris, 12 Johnny Williams, 11 Sinoti Sinoti, 10 Toby Flood, 9 Sonatane Takulua, 8 Mark Wilson, 7 Will Welch (c), 6 Gary Graham, 5 Tevita Cavubati, 4 Calum Green, 3 Logovi’i Mulipola, 2 George McGuigan, 1 Adam Brocklebank
Replacements: 16 Santiago Socino, 17 Sami Mavinga, 18 Paul Mullen, 19 Will Witty, 20 Callum Chick, 21 Sam Stuart, 22 Joel Hodgson, 23 Tom Penny
Wasps: 15 Rob Miller, 14 Marcus Watson, 13 Juan De Jongh, 12 Michael Le Bourgeois, 11 Josh Bassett, 10 Lima Sopoaga, 9 Joe Simpson, 8 Nizaam Carr, 7 Ben Morris, 6 Ashley Johnson (c), 5 James Gaskell, 4 Will Rowlands, 3 Will Stuart, 2 Tom Cruse, 1 Zurabi Zhvania
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
Date: Friday, September 28
Venue: Kingston Park
Kick-off: 19:45 BST (18:45 GMT)
Referee: Karl Dickson
Assistant referees: Peter Allan, Hamish Smales
Television match official: Sean Davey