1
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.
ADVERTISEMENT
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.
ADVERTISEMENT
'The pathway that Tompkins has chosen makes a lot of sense for him,' writes @alexshawsporthttps://t.co/lLOevZHA1G
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) January 15, 2020
“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.
ADVERTISEMENT
“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.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Super rugby is struggling but that has little to do with sabbaticals. 1. Too many teams from Aust and NZ - should be 3 and 4 respectively, add in 2 from Japan, 1 possibly 2 from Argentina. 2. Inconsistent and poor refereeing, admittedly not restricted to Super rugby. Only one team was reffed at the breakdown in Reds v H’Landers match. Scrum penalty awarded in Canes v Drua when No 8 had the ball in the open with little defence nearby - ideal opportunity to play advantage. Coming back to Reds match - same scrum situation but ref played advantage - Landers made 10 yards and were penalised at the breakdown when the ref should have returned to scrum penalty. 3. Marketing is weak and losing ground to AFL and NRL. Playing 2 days compared with 4. 4. Scheduling is unattractive to family attendance. Have any franchises heard of Sundays 2pm?
7 Go to commentsAbsolutely..all they need is a chance in yhe playoffs and I bet all the other teams will be nervous…THEY KNOW HOW TO WIN IM THE PLAYOFFS..
2 Go to commentsI really hope he comes back and helps out with some coaching.
1 Go to commentsI think we are all just hoping that the Olympic 7s doesn’t suffer the same sad fate as the last RWC with the officials ruining the spectacle.
1 Go to commentsPersonally, I’ve lost the will to even be bothered about the RFU, the structure, the participants. It’s all a sham. I now simply enjoy getting a group of friends together to go and watch a few games a year in different locations (including Europe, the championship, etc). I feel extremely sorry for the real fans of these clubs who are constantly ignored by the RFU and other administrators. I feel especially sorry for the fans of clubs in the Championship who have had considerable central funding stripped away and are then expected to just take whatever the RFU put to them. Its all a sham, especially if the failed clubs are allowed to return.
9 Go to commentsI’m guessing Carl Hayman would have preferred to have stayed in NZ with benefit of hindsight. Up north there is the expectation to play twice as many games with far less ‘player management’ protocols that Paul is now criticising. Less playing through concussions means longer, healthier, careers. Carter used as the eg here by Paul, his sabbatical allowed him to play until age 37. OK its not an exact science but there is far more expectations on players who sign for Top 14 or Engl Prem clubs to get value for the huge salaries. NZR get alot wrong but keeping their best players in NZ rugby is not one of them. SA clubs are virtually devoid of their top players now, no thanks. They cant threaten the big teams in the Champions Cup, the squads have little depth. Cant see Canes/Chiefs struggling. Super has been great this year, fantastic high skill matches. Drua a fantastic addition and Jaguares will add another quality team eventually. Aus teams performing strongly and no doubt will benefit with the incentive of a Lions tour and a home RWC. Let Jordie enjoy his time with Leinster, it will allow the opportunity for another player to emerge at Canes in his absence.
7 Go to commentsLove that man, his way to despise angry little men is so funny ! 😂
4 Go to comments“South African franchises would be powerhouses if we had all our overseas based players back in situ. We would have the same unbeatable aura the Toulouses, Leinsters or Saracens of this world have had over the last decade or so.” Proof that Jake white does not understand the economics of the game in SA. Players earning abroad are not going to simply come back and represent the bulls. But they might if they have a springbok contract.
22 Go to commentsA lot of fans just joined in for the fun of it! We all admire O'Gara and what he has done for La Rochelle
4 Go to commentsThe RFU will find a way to mess this up as usual. My bet is there will be no promotion into the the Premiership, only relegation into National League One. Hopefully they won’t parachute failed clubs into the league at the expense of clubs who have battled for promotion.
9 Go to commentsWell that’s the contracts for RG and Jordie bought and paid for. Now, what are the chances we can persuade Antoine to hop over with all the extra dosh we’ll have from living at the Aviva & Croke next season…??? 🤑🤑🤑
14 Go to commentsWow, that’s incredible. Great for rugby.
14 Go to commentsYou probably read that parling is going to coach the wallaby lineout but if not before now you have.
14 Go to commentsIf someone like Leo Cullen was in O’Gara’s place I don’t hear Boo-ing. It’s not just that La Rochelle has hurt Leinster and O’Gara is their Irish boss. It’s the needle that he brings and the pantomime activity before the game around pretending that Munster were supporting LaRochelle just because O’Gara is from Cork. That’s dividing Irish provinces just to get an advantage for his French Team. He can F*ck right off with that. BOOOOO! (but not while someone is lying injured)
4 Go to commentsDid the highlanders party too hard before the game? They were the pits.
1 Go to commentsWhat a player! Not long until he’s in the England side, surely?
5 Go to commentsHe seems to have the same aura as Marcus Smith - by which I mean he’s consistently judged as if he’s several years younger than he actually is. Mngomezulu has played 24 times for the Stormers. When Pollard was his age he had played 24 times for South Africa! He has more time to develop, but he has also had time to do some developing already, and he hasn’t demonstrated nearly as much talent in that time as one would expect. If he is a generational talent, then it must be a pretty poor generation.
6 Go to commentsThe greatest Springbok coach of all time is entirely on the money. Rassie and Jacques have given the south african public a great few years, but the success of the springbok selection policy will need to be judged in light of what comes next. The poor condition that the provincial system is currently in doesn’t bode well for the next few years of international rugby, and the insane 2026 schedule that the Boks have lined up could also really harm both provincial and international consistency.
22 Go to commentsJake White is a brilliant coach and a master in the press. This is another masterclass in media relations and PR but its also a very narrow view with arguments that dont always hold water. White wants his team to win, he wants the best players in SA and wants his team competitive. You however have to face up to the reality of a poor exchange rate and big clubs with big budgets. SA Rugby cant compete and unless it can find more money SA players will keep leaving regardless of Springbok eligibility and this happened in 2015 - 2017. Also rugby is not cricket. Cricket has 3 formats and T20 cricket is where the money is at. When it comes to club vs country the IPL is king but that wont happen because the international calendar does not clash with the club calendar in rugby. So the argument about rugby going down the same path as cricket is really a non-starter
22 Go to commentsNZ rugby seem not to have learnt anything from professional rugby. Super rugby was dying and SA left before they died with the competition. SA rugby did a u turn on their approach to international players playing overseas and such players are now selected for Bok teams. As much as each country would love to retain their players playing in local competitions, this is the way the world is evolving my friends. Move with it or stay 20 years behind the times. One more thing. NZ rugby hierarchy think they are the big cheese. Take a more humble approach guys. You do not seem to have your players best interests at heart.
7 Go to comments