With the London Stadium calling, Harlequins’ Dave Ward is looking forward to playing a part in a pioneering day for Premiership Rugby.

Ward’s side take on Saracens in the first-ever Premiership Rugby game to be played at the home of the London 2012 Olympics, with 57,000 supporters heading to Stratford for a sell-out clash (kick-off 3pm).

The Harlequins hooker is looking forward to playing rugby at the same venue where the likes of Usain Bolt, Mo Farah and Jessica Ennis-Hill produced such memorable performances in 2012.

Ward said: “We’ve had a couple of the pictures of the stadium up, showing the events that have happened there, like Mo Farah winning.

“To be able to say we’ve played rugby there is going to be fantastic.

“The history of that stadium is already amazing and it’s only six or seven-years-old, and now we get to be a part of that history.”

Ward has noticed an increase in his usual number of ticket requests, such is the appeal of watching a Premiership Rugby match in the London Stadium.

“I’ve had a lot of requests for tickets for family and friends who want to go and watch rugby where Super Saturday happened during the Olympics,” he added.

“For Premiership Rugby, it’s another first and we keep breaking these boundaries.”

Harlequins are itching to defeat Saracens but Ward says they are aware of the challenge they face.

He said: “There’s no bigger test than the double European Champions in their version of the Big Game.

“We know what’s at stake and how difficult it’s going to be but we are looking to build momentum and get our season back on track.

“Saracens are well known for their defence and physicality.

“We know that any sort of mistake – any loose ball or slow reaction – if we’re not on top of our game, is when they’ll punish us.

“They’ll box kick up to the ten-metre line. There’s no other team like them, really.

“Mistakes in this game are inevitable but we’ve got to react quickest.”