Richards' last England cap was against New Zealand in June

London Irish scrum-half Peter Richards says this weekend is a opportunity to boost his England chances.

Irish face Harlequins, which brings Richards up against Danny Care who, along with Leicester's Harry Ellis, is a rival for an England place.

Richards told BBC Radio Berkshire he realises how important the game is both for club and his international career.

"If I have aspirations to play for England, which I certainly do, then I have to get one over on him," he said.

"I looked at the fixture list when in came out in the middle of the pre-season and I saw we had Leicester second and Quins fourth.

"For me that's two of my competitors for the England number nine shirt and I knew it would be a great time to play them.

"These are the games I'm sure the coaches will be looking at to decide selection."

Richards was fulsome in his praise for Care and said his good form would mean Harlequins would not miss Nick Evans.

"Danny has been their best player in the first three games - he's probably even more of a threat than Nick Evans.

"They have a lot of threats out wide: Dave Strettle, Ugo Monye and our old boy Gonzalo Tiesi. It'll be two very talented back-lines going up against each other."

Richards, who spent two years at Harlequins earlier in his career, added that London Irish always enjoy going to play their old rivals.

"The Stoop is one of the primary grounds to play at in the league.

Care made his England debut on the summer's tour of New Zealand

"It doesn't hold as many as Welford Road or Kingsholm, but it has a great atmosphere and is a pure rugby ground.

"Far gone are the days of Harlequins supporters being the prawn-sandwich brigade. They get some very vocal support there.

"With Quins playing in the form they are and with a lot of their players on song, it's going to be a very tough game for us to win in this crucial part of the season.

"We've lost two games now so it's very important for us to bounce back and win."