Harlequins boss Tabai Matson hailed Danny Care as one of the club’s very best as the scrum half prepares to break the club’s appearance record against Gloucester on Friday evening.

Quins will be looking to leapfrog their West Country opponents with victory at Kingsholm and halt a slide of four consecutive defeats since Christmas.

Both sides go into the fixture level on 32 points and Quins will look to the experience of 36-year-old Care, who is set for his 352nd appearance.

“A special mention has to go to Danny Care this week,” said Matson. “DC is one of the all-time great Harlequins and it's a huge achievement for him to break the appearance record for the Club.

“For me longevity is the true test of the greatest. Many amazing players come and go but the greats leave a stamp on multiple generations at a club and Danny has clearly done that.

“It's a testament to his professionalism in how he prepares and recovers each week that he has remained at the highest level of the game for such a long time.

“This is a special moment for him, his family and our Club and I hope he enjoys every moment.”

League action resumes as the Six Nations takes a break after two breathless weeks of international action, but Quins will be without key players Alex Dombrandt and fly-half Marcus Smith who remain on England duty.

Gloucester, however, are bolstered by the return of backs Jonny May and Chris Harris who are available.

But Matson is pleased to be back into the swing of things following the break to domestic proceedings, with Tommy Allan returning at fly-half and Cadan Murley back on the wing, as Quins target an important first league win of 2023.

“Last week’s training was really useful. We got to work on things we haven’t worked on for a while and recalibrate a little bit,” he added.

“We haven’t quite got over the line over the last four games and this Friday night, away on the road, is a really important one to keep us on track.

“Kingsholm Stadium is a fantastic ground. The last time we were there we had a great game and it was one of our best performances of the year. We’ll have to be at that level again to get a result this week.

“It’s really clear what’s coming against Gloucester. George [Skivington, Gloucester Head Coach] has the team very well organised.

“They’re a consistent side in terms of their big weapons, so we have plenty of challenges across the key aspects of the game.”

Kick-off at Kingsholm is 7:45pm and the fixture will be broadcast on BT Sport.