England Stars Straight Back Into Premiership Action

England players will look to put a desperately disappointing Six Nations behind them when they make a mass return to Premiership duty this weekend.

London, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 23rd Mar, 2018 ) :England players will look to put a desperately disappointing Six Nations behind them when they make a mass return to Premiership duty this weekend.

Only four of the matchday 23 involved in the side beaten 24-15 at Twickenham last Saturday as Ireland secured a Grand Slam have been now been sidelined from club action as the Premiership resumes after a three-week break.

Anthony Watson, Owen Farrell and George Kruis are all injured, while England captain Dylan Hartley will miss Northampton's match against Newcastle at St James' Park -- the home of football side Newcastle United -- because of illness.

There will, however, be nine England players on show when European champions Saracens meet capital rivals Harlequins at the London Stadium in front of a sell-out 57,000 crowd. The centrepiece of the London 2012 Olympic Games, the stadium was where Saracens hooker Schalk Brits played his last match for South Africa, against the United States in the 2015 World Cup.

"It is amazing that I am going back to where I played my last match for the Springboks -- I never thought it would happen," Brits, who will retire at the end of the season, told the London Evening Standard.

"I am sure it will be a great atmosphere because we have sold out the match. This is a game where we really want to generate some momentum.

We haven't hit our best form for various reasons this season, so this match is a very big momentum-builder for us." Brits added: "It's great to have our international guys back.

Besides beating Quins and keeping up our bid for the Premiership title by finishing in the top two, it will be important to set ourselves up for our European Champions Cup game against Leinster (in Dublin on Easter Sunday)." St James' Park, also used as a World Cup venue three years ago, now finds itself staging a Premiership match as well, with some 30,000 expected at the home of the Magpies for the visit of Northampton.

"I have been there for Newcastle United games, Rugby World Cup and rugby league Magic Weekend, and it's just an incredible venue," said Newcastle Falcons rugby director Dean Richards. "I am sure our guys will show a great focus and really rise to the challenge." Wales wing George North has been named to start by the Saints after Northampton took disciplinary action taken against him for missing a training session this month.

Premiership relegation favourites London Irish are at home to Gloucester on Saturday under their new coaching team of Declan Kidney and Les Kiss, and just 48 hours after rugby director Nick Kennedy left the club. Sunday's match see Leicester, chasing a play-off place, welcome Wasps to Welford Road.