Dombrandt defies exit rumours to stay on at Harlequins

Harlequins have confirmed that backrow forward Alex Dombrandt has extended his contract, following two successful years at the club.

The 22-year-old, from Croydon, has made 37 Harlequins appearances, scoring 16 tries in the famous Quarters since signing ahead of the 2018/2019 season.

A graduate of Cardiff Metropolitan University, where he represented Wales at U20 level, Dombrandt is renowned for his powerful running and offload game, demonstrating his physical strengths in his first two seasons at the Club.

Following his first season at Harlequins, and his first professional season in elite rugby, Dombrandt received a host of accolades including being named both the adidas Supporters' Player of the Season (voted for by Harlequins supporters) and the Players' Player of the Season (voted for by the squad). He was also named in the BT Sport Team of the Year.

At the conclusion of the 2018/19 season, Dombrandt was selected alongside Marcus Smith and Joe Marchant for England's Quilter Cup match against the Barbarians at Twickenham, where he scored two tries. Since then, Dombrandt has remained a part of Eddie Jones’ training squads, having been involved in training camps in the lead up to the 2019 Rugby World Cup.

So far, in the 2019/20 season, Dombrandt has played 13 matches across the Gallagher Premiership, Heineken Champions Cup and Premiership Rugby Cup, scoring five tries.

Alex Dombrandt said: “I am really excited to have committed my future to Quins; a club that I have loved as both a fan and a player over the years. I am excited by the direction the Club is going in and having Gussy, the coaches and great players in place there is no reason why we can’t be moving on up.

“Coming up to this level naturally was a huge step up for me but after two great years here I feel I have developed so much.

“I want to keep on this journey, hopefully help this great club and continue by working with some amazing people in such an impressive, fun and professional environment.”

Head of Rugby Paul Gustard said he was delighted to see Dombrandt sign a new contract with the Club, as the team looks forward to a bright future.

Gustard said: “Dommers has developed from a kid with outstanding potential at University, into a first team player in his time at Harlequins. He is without doubt a special player who has exceptional talent and his commitment to the Club is strong affirmation of the progress we are making.

“He is a brilliant kid who is popular amongst the staff and the playing group and is part of a strong spine of young English talent that we want to drive our club forward as we look to compete regularly for silverware.

“He is still developing as a player and is humble enough to acknowledge areas of his game he wants to work on, which is a credit to him as he strives to maximise his skill and achieve international recognition. We want to create a positive environment for all our players to learn and grow and help them achieve individually and collectively, and we are delighted Dom sees the same potential and belief in us, as we do in him.

“Alex has done, and will continue to, play a significant and vital part in our future success and his re-signing is great news for everyone at Harlequins.”