Harlequins Ladies return to the Twickenham Stoop on Saturday to face London rivals Saracens Women in a repeat of last season’s thrilling Tyrrells Premier 15s final. Harlequins Ladies’ Vickii Cornborough looks ahead to another special occasion for women’s club rugby…

It’s a really exciting time at Harlequins Ladies as we head into a crucial London derby with our great rivals Saracens. We signed some good players over the summer and the mood in the camp is positive.

Overall, we’re happy with the way we’ve started the season. Results haven’t always gone our way and there have been some very tight matches, but we’ve managed to string together some really strong performances this year.

The results reflect how strong the Tyrells Premier 15s is this season. A lot of the clubs have started the season strongly and that’s a testament to how competitive the league is. We’ve had to regroup, reflect and really push on to make sure we perform our best each week.

Last weekend we played well in a convincing 19-69 win away to Worcester Valkyries, which will help us going into the game against Saracens this Saturday. It’s going to be tough, but we’re looking forward to the challenge.

The test for us against Saracens this weekend is whether we can put together an 80-minute performance and make it count when it matters.

I’m sure there will be some nerves around the squad ahead of the match. But it’s all about preparation and as long as we train well during the week and practise our plays for the match we’ll go in fully prepared. That will help set the tone on Saturday.

Personally I love these big matches, they are type of games I get excited about. We are playing at the Stoop and it’s against Saracens, who we played in the first ever Tyrells Premier 15s final last year, so it’s such a big occasion.

If you look at the games that Saracens and Quins have played, it’s all about the fine margins and every mistake counts. It’s going to come down to who puts in the more polished performance and I expect it to be a spectacle that the fans will love.

This will be one of at least four matches we play at the Stoop this year and I’m already excited about running out onto the pitch. To call the Stoop our home for a Tyrells Premier 15s match is incredible and the fans will create such a fantastic atmosphere on the day. You can really hear them during the home matches and it motivates you a lot.

Even when the game finishes the supporters stay and want to speak to you, especially some of the younger kids. In just a few years time it could be them running onto the pitch and there’s nothing more inspirational than that.

One of the reasons I love Harlequins so much is because I see all the hard work they do behind the scenes, especially for women’s rugby. The Switch initiative is helping more girls get into rugby and it’s amazing to see all the new talent that is coming through.

I love inspiring the new generation but the only way that is going to continue to come through at club and international level is if women’s rugby gets the exposure it deserves. I hope to see as many of you there as possible on Saturday, for a game which will showcase the very best women’s club rugby has to offer.

Harlequins Ladies play Saracens Women at the Twickenham Stoop on Saturday 20th October. For tickets head to tickets.quins.co.uk