The 24-year-old missed the opening two rounds of the Heineken Champions Cup pool stage but tallied 21 points over the latter two games as Quins booked a Round of 16 trip to DHL Stormers.

Smith was dropped from the England squad as they beat Wales a fortnight ago but is back to replace Saracens counterpart Owen Farrell in the starting XV.

That switch is the solitary change made by head coach Steve Borthwick following the win in Cardiff, with Smith’s Quins teammate Alex Dombrandt retained at No.8.

The Leicester Tigers quartet of lock Ollie Chessum, scrum-half Jack van Poortvliet, wing Anthony Watson and full-back Freddie Steward continues in the team along with Exeter Chiefs centre Henry Slade and Stade Toulousain flanker Jack Willis.

Saracens now have three representatives in the starting side in hooker Jamie George, lock Maro Itoje and wing Max Malins, with Farrell joining clubmate Mako Vunipola on the bench.

Quins hooker Jack Walker and Leicester prop Dan Cole are further Heineken Champions Cup names among the replacements.

Meanwhile, the France XV boasts three EPCR Player of the Year nominees in hooker Julien Marchand and scrum-half Antoine Dupont, both of Toulouse, and Stade Rochelais No.8 Grégory Alldritt.

Fly-half Marcus Smith, Harlequins’ leading points-scorer in this season’s Heineken Champions Cup, starts on his return to the England team as they host France in the Six Nations on Saturday.