Leeds forward Luke Burgess will renew a few old acquaintances and wonder what might have been when he returns to the Twickenham Stoop for Sunday's Carnegie Challenge Cup fifth-round tie with Harlequins.

The 21-year-old prop spent a month on loan at the London club last season and made his debut in both Super League and the Challenge Cup while wearing the Harlequins colours.

"It was my first taste of Super League, getting to know what it was all about, and it was really beneficial for me," he said.

Burgess made four appearances for Harlequins, including one against his younger brother, the Bradford and Great Britain forward Sam Burgess, before being recalled by the Rhinos.

He eventually got his breakthrough at Leeds and has played in the last 10 league and cup matches but will always be grateful for his experience in the capital.

"I absolutely loved my time down there," he said. "I lived with Mark McLinden, Mick Worrincy and Tony Clubb and had a great time.

"They were a good set of lads and I enjoyed my time away from training with the lads I was living with.

"I also got on with (coach) Brian (McDermott) and I was a bit gutted when I had to leave. I really enjoyed it and got some nice opportunities, which I'm really appreciative of.

"I would have liked to stay down there for a bit longer because I wasn't getting any first-team games at Leeds."

Burgess, who made his Leeds debut in their shock defeat at Castleford in March, scored his first try for the club a week later in a 48-0 thrashing of Harlequins.

The Super League champions are joint favourites with St Helens to lift the cup at Wembley in August but Burgess is warning his team not to underestimate his old club-mates.

"It's going to be a tough game," he said. "Wembley is the thing at the back of everybody's minds. We're on the pathway and it's a very special event."

Leeds have won all four previous Challenge Cup meetings with the Londoners, including a record 52-16 triumph in the 1999 final at Wembley.

Harlequins will at least have home advantage but they have not beaten Leeds on their own ground since 1997 when, as London Broncos, they won 40-16 in a Super League match.

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