While Danny Cipriani's projected return from injury to play fly half for London Wasps fluctuates to and fro - any time from three weeks to two months - Jonny Wilkinson's is now firm: England's record points-scorer will make his first appearance of the season for Newcastle Falcons against Northampton at Kingston Park on Sunday and England's coaching team will be among the many to welcome him back.

While Cipriani closed last season's RBS Six Nations Championship in a blaze of glory and Charlie Hodgson, Toby Flood and Olly Barkley did duty in the No10 shirt in New Zealand in June, an in-form Wilkinson remains the most likely pivot for November's international series. The proviso is, if Cipriani comes back sooner rather than later from the ankle fracturedislocation he suffered in May, he will have the chance to recover the form that forced him ahead of Wilkinson in the queue six months ago.

The same applies to Wilkinson, of course, after repairs during the summer to his right shoulder. A longstanding problem was cleared away, the player had a summer off and he had hoped to appear in Newcastle's opening game, the defeat by Sale Sharks last weekend. But with so much rugby to be played in the next nine months, his club held him back to be sure that he had caught up with his pre-season preparation.

“I want to move my game forward, see if I can broaden my physical horizons and match-play horizons,” Wilkinson, 29, said when England met last month, but he must do that first for his club, who, in many eyes, are favourites for relegation from the Guinness Premiership. “Jonny is in good shape and raring to go,” Steve Bates, the Newcastle director of rugby, who will confirm his starting XV today, said.

The landscape has changed since Wilkinson last pulled on a Falcons shirt, with the departure of Flood and Ben Woods to Leicester and of Mathew Tait to Sale, who meet Saracens at Edgeley Park tonight. For the second week running, Tait plays at full back and, despite the loss of Juan Martin Fernández Lobbe, their captain, and Lee Thomas, who failed fitness tests last night, a clutch of internationals return, among them Andrew Sheridan.

Sheridan, the England loose-head prop, missed the first Premiership weekend with a damaged hamstring and now locks horns with Census Johnston, the Samoa prop and one of three Saracens named in the Pacific Islands squad who will play internationals against England, France and Italy in November, along with Kameli Ratuvou and Moses Rauluni.

Saracens, pipped by Harlequins in their opening game, make five changes, two enforced by injuries to David Seymour, out for up to eight weeks with damaged knee ligaments, and Francisco Leonelli (hip). Andy Saull is promoted to Seymour's place on the flank, one of several members of this year's successful England Under-20 squad to be given an early taste of the Premiership.

It will be small comfort to Seymour to know that his situation is the same as that of Nick Evans, Harlequins' marquee signing of the summer. Evans, capped 16 times by New Zealand, showed a full range of fly-half skills against Saracens at Twickenham before limping off with ligament damage to his right knee that is likely to keep him out for at least six weeks.

It is a blow to Harlequins and their supporters, who will welcome back a former Harlequin to the Twickenham Stoop tomorrow in the shape of Adrian Jarvis, now with Bristol. Jarvis will be joined at the end of this month by Mathew Turner, the 20-year-old South African wing or full back who has agreed a two-year contract. Bristol have also snapped up Tony Russ, the former Harlequins academy manager, to act in a scouting capacity in the belief that the Harlequins development model is as good as any in the country.

Llanelli Scarlets, who move into their new home, Parc y Scarlets, in November, have dropped the town's name from their title. The Ospreys dispensed with their Neath-Swansea nomenclature two years ago and the Scarlets consider it necessary because they represent West Wales rather than one of the most resonant names in club history.