Purdham set for Quins return

Harlequins captain Rob Purdham is set to make his first appearance of the season against Crusaders on Thursday.

Purdham, 29, hasn’t played since September after undergoing shoulder surgery but has been named in Brian McDermott’s 19 man squad for the game at The Gnoll, Neath.

Ryan Esders faces a late fitness test having been out for a month with a fractured wrist, but David Howell is definitely out, as he awaits the result of a scan on a calf injury sustained in last Friday’s match against Bradford.

Harlequins: Bolger, Bryan, Clubb, Esders, Gale, Golden, Jones-Bishop, McCarthy-Scarsbrook, Melling, O’Callaghan, Orr, Purdham, Randall, Sharp, Smith, Ward, Wilkes, Williams, Williamson