Wallaby allowed into inner sanctum

David Wilson will be admitted to England's inner sanctum when he leads Harlequins into Twickenham on Saturday for a club occasion guaranteed to break all box-office records.

Quins' 34-year-old captain and most-capped Wallaby flanker will break new ground by striding into the home dressing-room with all its inspirational English extras before taking the London club out in front of a world-record club attendance of more than 71,000 for the Tetley's Bitter Cup Final against Newcastle.

For all recent finals, the room had been declared out of bounds under Clive Woodward's management regime.

'Clive has relented at last,' said Quins' manager Mike Scott. 'When I was last at a final with Saracens three years ago, we weren't allowed anywhere near the England dressing-room and had to change in a back room.

'We became the "home" team on the toss of a coin with Newcastle. Clive was then approached and gave his approval, which is marvellous.

'It also means that our opponents will use the away dressing-room, which is nice and cold, exactly what they're used to!'

While Jason Leonard and Will Greenwood will feel more at home than Wilson, the bare, breeze-block facade of the opposition quarters will hardly bother Newcastle as they carry the hopes of the Geordie nation on the long haul from Tyneside.

Astonishingly for a contest between two clubs with an average Premiership gate of less than 5,000, the final will shatter the world record of 68,000 set by the Bath-Leicester final seven years ago and equalled at last year's Northampton-Munster European Cup Final.

Quins have reached Twickenham against all the odds by knocking the champions of Europe and England out in the two previous rounds.

Wilson said: 'I've never known support on such a massive scale for a club match. This is going to be a huge occasion and, win or lose, one we are all going to remember for a long time.'

Quins, whose highest Premiership attendance this season stands at a modest 5,093, have sold 16,000 tickets. 'It just goes to show that there is a huge market out there for Harlequins,' said Mark Evans, the club's chief executive and acting coach. 'We are working hard to re-invent the club and the final will be a significant step along the way.

'The marketing of this final - by Newcastle and the RFU as well as Quins - has been outstanding. We don't mind that everyone else in the country hates us just as long as they live beyond our patch covering a large area of south-west London, Surrey, Hampshire and beyond into Sussex.'

The latest example of the English rugby boom has been achieved in spite of the early scheduling of the final, not because of it.

Foisted between home England matches at Twickenham to leave the end-of-season clear for the sacred Premiership play-offs, the final has sold like never before.

Quins are at full strength, with Paul Burke back at fly half after recovering from a broken arm and Steve White-Cooper locking the scrum alongside ex-Wallaby Garrick Morgan. Newcastle, beaten by Wasps in the final two years ago, name their team today.

Hooker Ross Nesdale, out of Ireland's team for the last two seasons, goes into his head-to-head with Keith Wood reinforced by his imminent return to Ireland's A squad against their Welsh counterparts on Friday week. Nesdale returns along with Eric Miller, a member of the last Lions tour four years ago and among the 67 named yesterday for the next one.

HARLEQUINS - R O'Neill; N Greenstock, W Greenwood, N Burrows, B Daniel; P Burke, M Powell; J Leonard, K Wood, J Dawson; G Morgan, S White-Cooper; P Sanderson, R Winters, D Wilson (capt). Subs: P Richards, C Chalmers, B Gollings, B Starr, T Fuga, A Codling, R Jenkins.