Exiles will halt Topsy turvy ride

the Premiership is that it’s a way of saying thank you for last season when they were unbelievable travelling up and down the country.

“There will be a lot of good times this season but also bad times and we need to come through that together.”

Harlequins will be looking to youth today, handing 18-year-old Marcus Smith a debut at fly-half.

At 32, Ojo hardly fits into the same bracket, so how long can he keep going in such a relentless league? “Until I get a second testimonial,” he said jokingly. “I feel great. I feel fit, healthy and fast. Ask me again at Christmas after I’ve played a dozen games and it might be a different story.

“But I still love being out there and pulling on the shirt. I’ll keep doing it until my body tells me I can’t.”

Courtney Lawes will square up against Lions team-mates Maro Itoje and George Kruis in the first part of the Twickenham double-header when his Northampton Saints side face Saracens.

STEVE BROWN, a Twickenham insider and part-time session guitarist, has been confirmed as the new chief executive of the RFU.

Brown, the chief business operations officer at the RFU, will take over on Monday from the retiring Ian Ritchie.

“This is the job of lifetime for me,” he said.

“I’m thrilled to be given this opportunity to lead a sport I love, in an organisation I have been proud to work for over the last six years, and I look forward to leading the team as we work to grow the game at every level.” a