Harlequins has announced its squad to face Bristol Bears on Friday 20 September in the first round of the Premiership Rugby Cup at The Stoop.

With this fixture being the first of the season for the Club, Head of Rugby Paul Gustard will be looking to rotate his squad for the opening four Premiership Rugby Cup fixtures in order to give players the opportunity to gain match fitness and get some competitive meaningful game time.



Gustard, heading into his second season at Harlequins, has been pleased with the response of his players during pre-season in which he and his coaching staff have challenged the players to ‘move on up’ with a strong focus on their attacking play.



“The players returned to the Club following their off-season in great condition and more importantly with a determined and positive attitude to move our game forward. It is to their credit that they respected the programme, the Club, their teammates and mostly themselves to report back in such a way. I believe we have a really hungry, special group of players at the Club who are focused and driven to build on some decent foundations from last year.”



Rugby returns to The Stoop to open the 2019/20 campaign and Harlequins’ first team selection will see seven new recruits in the 23-man-squad, with Glen Young, Tom Lawday, Will Evans and Brett Herron all in the starting XV.



Hooker Max Crumpton captains the side for the season opener against his former employers which also sees Joe Marchant return to the line-up after his recent spell with England over the summer. The back three sees full-back Aaron Morris returning from a lengthy injury after an impressive pre-season and will be looking to showcase his talent and combine with the electric Gabriel Ibitoye and lightning fast Ross Chisholm. The match 23 also sees first year academy intake Louis Lynagh occupy a role as a Game Changer as he looks forward to making his competitive debut for the Quarters.