Ashton: Saints winger

The England wing has been strongly linked with a summer move to Aviva Premiership rivals Saracens, and Saints boss Jim Mallinder has already indicated the club will not break the bank to keep him.

Ashton was banned for pulling the hair of Leicester wing Alesana Tuilagi. In his absence, Northampton have won their last three matches and climbed into the top three.

Mallinder has brought Ashton straight back into the Northampton side to face table-topping Harlequins, in place of the Russia international Vasily Artemyev.

Harlequins have included scrum-half Danny Care at the end of a week in which he was banned from England RBS 6 Nations duty after being arrested for drink driving in the early hours of New Year's Day.

That was Care's second alcohol-related incident in the space of three weeks, having been was arrested and fined by police for being drunk and disorderly on December 10.

England coach Stuart Lancaster told Care he would not be considered for international honours until he could prove he was trustworthy again.

"I will do everything to learn my lesson and come back stronger," he said on Twitter.

The 25-year-old was backed to do exactly that by Lancaster, who said: "Hopefully it will give him the kickstart he needs to become what I believe will be world class."

Care was man of the match for Harlequins in their victory over Exeter on New Year's Eve and he starts in an unchanged back division, with Rory Clegg continuing at fly-half in the absence of Nick Evans.

Up front, Harlequins restore hooker Chris Brooker and prop James Johnston to the front row while Olly Kohn returns from injury to partner George Robson in the second row and Nick Easter starts at number eight.