Newcastle's Kingston Park is the venue tonight for a showdown between England fly-half Jonny Wilkinson and his heir apparent, 20-year-old Wasps prospect Danny Cipriani.

Falcons rugby director John Fletcher, though, is far more concerned with overcoming Wasps' renowned defensive and contact-area work.

Fletcher said: "The way Wasps defend is pretty unique.

"They are the only team in the Premiership that flies up to that extent, and they ask a lot of questions of you when you have the ball.

"Every time you play Wasps you have to win the fight - the contact area - because if they get supremacy in that part of the game then they generate a lot of momentum and are tough to contain.

"Their whole strategy is based on making you feel claustrophobic, putting you under stress and cutting down your space."

Fletcher includes his current England quartet of Wilkinson, Toby Flood, Jamie Noon and Mathew Tait, but Wasps are without flanker James Haskell, who suffered an ankle injury on red rose duty against France.

Wasps will climb into fifth place if they ground the Falcons, although they have not won at Kingston Park since November, 2003.

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