Newcastle's England fly-half Jonny Wilkinson will make his return from injury against Northampton this weekend. Wilkinson had undergone shoulder surgery over the summer - causing him to miss England's ill-starred tour of New Zealand - with his last appearance coming against Leicester towards the end of the 2007-08 Guinness Premiership season.

Newcastle were beaten at home by Sale in their opening game of the new season, with teenager Rory Clegg kicking all of his side's points on his debut at No10. However they are now set to welcome back the battle-hardened Wilkinson after another stint on the operating table.

"Jonny is in great shape and raring to go," said Newcastle rugby director Steve Bates ahead of the Saints' visit on Sunday. "I thought Rory Clegg did very well for an 18-year-old guy making his Premiership debut last weekend, but with a world-class talent like Jonny in the side, we will be a much more potent attacking force.

"The attention that the opposition have to give him often presents opportunities elsewhere on the field for other players. He knows what we as coaches are trying to achieve, and what he also brings is a great emphasis on precision in attack. He brings a huge amount of problems for defenders to deal with, firstly because he is a prolific goalkicker and teams are wary of conceding penalties in their own half, which in turn could well have implications on other areas of the game."

The Falcons released their other international fly-half, Toby Flood, over the close season, and, after finishing 11th last year, will need to have Wilkinson available more often than not if they are to avoid another struggle against relegation.