Harlequins star Tom Guest has revealed the reasons behind his forthcoming summer switch to London Irish.

Despite last week making his 200th appearance for the club, Guest rarely gets to play at his natural number eight position due to the immovable force that is Nick Easter, who now had no England distractions.

Even at flanker, where Guest plays most of his games these days, the 29 year old has competition from the likes of Chris Robshaw, Luke Wallace and Mo Fa'asavalu.

Throw in the emergence of young talent like Joe Trayfoot, James Chisholm and Jack Clifford, and you could forgive Guest for thinking his future lies elsewhere.

Recent speculation linked the 29 year old with a summer move to London Irish, which was finally confirmed yesterday.

Guest said: “My contract is up this year, and I have had to think about what I want to achieve over the next couple of years. I've thought long and hard, and I'm very happy with the decision I have made. But I have been with Harlequins for 12 years, have really enjoyed my time here and hold the club with great affection.

“I play where I am told, but I prefer it at number eight. I see it as my best position and I would like to have played a lot more there. When I have had the chance to play there I like to think I have played well.

“When you play regularly you have that rhythm and confidence in your game. But Nick has been a great player for Quins and has always provided me with a challenge, which is fantastic for the club. Pushing him out is so hard as he has always been so consistent.

“Now you have Jack and James, who both look like they can be good players, an Joe Trayfoot, who has been unlucky not to get more opportunities.”

Guest is likely to be stuck at flanker once more as Quins, fresh from squeezing past Wasps 11-10 thanks to Sam Smith's late try last Sunday, host a Newcastle side on Saturday they hammered 35-9 at Kingston Park two months ago.

He added: “The game at Newcastle was a lot harder than the scoreline suggests, so they won't be taken lightly. We have to take our game out there more than we did against Wasps. We were far from happy with our performance, but coming back to win in the last few minutes at least shows the character we have.”