The twelve players joining Harlequins next season
Harlequins have confirmed all twelve players that will join the club ahead of the 2019/20 season.
Santiago Garcia Botta (Prop) – Jaguares
The powerful scrummager, who has 33 international caps, will join the Club after the World Cup in Japan, if selected, later this year. The 26-year-old currently plays for Jaguares and was part of the Argentina squad that reached the World Cup semi-finals in 2015.
Scott Baldwin (Hooker) – Ospreys
The Wales international said he was delighted to be joining Harlequins after 10 years with Ospreys, where he has made over 120 appearances.
Michele Campagnaro (Centre) – Wasps
The strong, ball-carrying Centre, who can also cover wing, was a member of the Exeter Chiefs squad who won the Premiership in the 2016/17 season and is currently playing his rugby with Wasps. The 26-year-old represented Italy in the recent Six Nations campaign and to date has amassed 42 caps for Italy and scored nine tries for his country.
Will Evans (Flanker) – Leicester Tigers
Openside flanker Evans enjoyed a stellar rise through the ranks at Leicester in the closing stages of the 2015/16 season, making his senior debut for Leicester Tigers and then going to the World Under-20s Championships with England who reached the final and was then deservedly named in the competition dream team.
Evans, 22, earned international recognition at four age-group levels as he progressed through the Tigers academy. He made his Premiership debut against Gloucester at Welford Road in April 2016 and made three more appearances that season, including in the semi-final at Saracens. He was a member of England’s senior EPS squad of 45 back in 2016 at the tender age of 19.
Toby Freeman (Lock) – Cornish Pirates
The 31-year-old, who started his career in Cornwall and then went on to play for Rotherham and Nottingham, has been a mainstay of the Pirates team since his return there in 2017. He is an experienced campaigner, having played over 100 games in the Championship and brings a wealth of experience with him to Harlequins.
Brett Herron (Fly-half) – Jersey Reds
The 23-year-old, who can also provide cover at Fullback, is a product of the prestigious rugby school Wellington College, and made his debut for Bath United in 2014 before moving to for Ulster where he made eight appearances.
Herron then joined Jersey Reds last season and, having put in an eye-catching performance against Harlequins in last summer’s pre-season fixture between the clubs, has been a stand-out player for the Channels Islands’ side all season scoring over 100 points in 21 matches as they have risen to third in the Greene King Championship.
Simon Kerrod (Prop) – Worcester Warriors
The Tighthead prop joined Worcester from Jersey Reds at the start of the 2017/18 season having previously represented Sharks and Eastern Province Kings in South Africa. Kerrod, 26, was born in Johannesburg and has previously been selected in a South Africans Barbarian team, but is English-qualified.
Martin Landajo (Scrum-half) – Jaguares
The 30-year-old, who is one of his country’s most capped internationals with 84 appearances and was part of the Argentina squad which reached the semi-finals of the 2015 World Cup, will complement Danny Care’s skill-set and provide another level of leadership across the squad.
Tom Lawday (Number Eight) – Exeter Chiefs
The powerful Number eight, who is currently with Exeter Chiefs, is a former BUCS player of the season and has represented England Students. Lawday, who capped his final year at the University of Exeter with that BUCS award and as top try-scorer in BUCS Super Rugby in 2016/17, joined the Chiefs that summer.
Stephan Lewies (Lock) – Lions
South African international Lewies, 27, is currently on loan with Lions but played the majority of his career in South Africa with Sharks, where he made 80 appearances having made his way up through the ranks, playing in the Currie Cup aged 21 in 2013. His outstanding performances the following year meant that he was immediately recognised as a special talent and was called up to the Springbok squad, earning his first Test cap against Scotland at only 22 when he replaced Victor Matfield in a 55–6 win over Scotland in Port Elizabeth.
Luke Northmore (Centre) – Cardiff Met
Northmore, who can play at either 12 or 13, played his early rugby at Tavistock RFC, and has been a consistent performer for the university side for the past three years. He is a close friend of Harlequins’ breakout player this season Alex Dombrandt, with whom he played at Cardiff Met.
Glen Young (Lock) – Newcastle Falcons
Second row Young, who has represented Scotland U20s, has been with Newcastle since he played for their U18s in 2012/13. Two years later he broke into the First Team and represented his country’s U20 side seven times. He played the 2015/16 season on dual registration with Doncaster Knights and was named in the Championship Dream Team that season, having made the play-off final. Young made his Premiership debut the following season and played a big part in Newcastle’s Challenge Cup campaign.
Comments on RugbyPass
Hey Finn, Well done to the Junior Wallabies…a win is a win but it was a wet and scrappy game. Would be interesting to hear your opinion on two things from watching the game at the Not So Sunny Coast Stadium. Firstly, what is your opinion on the rule change of being able to call The Mark from a kick off and what is the reason for the change? Secondly, your thoughts on the lack of action for the high tackle on the SA fullback. I understand the TMO ruled that he had fallen into the tackle and the tackler didn’t have time to adjust but it was clearly shoulder on head and the Aussie 11 had not made any attempt to adjust his tackle height leading into the tackle. In my opinion he was never going to get his tackle technique correct to complete a safe tackle. If that tackle was made at a more senior and more scrutinised level would we have seen the same result?
2 Go to commentsI don’t think this has been ventilated enough. Discuss. Perhaps the lessons in all of this is that, in the game of life, one should do all the talking on the field of play. And in the game of rugby, what’s said on the field - stays on the field. Take care of yourselves. And each other.
32 Go to commentsLow skills compared to the Junior ABs. The ball handling and ball retention of the SAns in particular was utterly woeful. The latter will be better on home turf.
2 Go to comments1. Heard this so often over the yrs. One Warriors CEO even claimed future kids wouldnt know which came first, the ABs or the Warriors. Always keen to talk themselves up. 2. That fella Barakat who says he will drop HBHS sponsorship because HBHS quite rightly wants its players to focus on rugby is an odd fit as a sponsor in the first place. As a recruitment official for the Warriors he seems to regard his sponsorship as a paid licence to help to select players from HBHS for the league side. Maybe he should find a league school to fund.
1 Go to commentsNZ U20s are the team to beat this year for sure. And how nice after so long that NZRFU is actually taking this seriously. For far too long they have been sending woefully coached and woefully underprepared teams to the U20 WCs. That Wrampling boy is a star in the making.
2 Go to commentsI agree ..come on keyboard warriors and journalists looking for a cheap win ….. only 2 mins to go 12 points down …this DID NOT decide the game and beside JM was hit after the whistle and in response it was a pat on the back of the head …harmless ….watch soccer if this is your issue
4 Go to commentsRest is for namby pamby sissies, I see. True men should overcome their trifling injuries by playing week in, week out. Bidwell’s stance reminds me of a Jon Gadsby character from the 70s, a rugby captain giving an after-match speech: “It was a very physical contest. One of our players caught a boot on the back of his head in a ruck, and he died, actually. But to his credit, he played on.”
1 Go to commentsI still see nothing in Sotutus play that hes changed his upright running style that failed so many times against decent international defences like the french. Other than that… Iose? Well you have covered his limitations well. If Sititi had been playing the the season… Jacobson? Grace?…Neither shout pick me. So Ardie it is.
1 Go to commentsThere isn’t one element you mentioned there that every top class or successful team gets up to. The great All blacks sides used to play on the ‘fringes or edge’ but it was essentially saying they were doing something illegal or borderline to gain dominance. The fine margins at the top are minute between the top sides. La Rochelle, the crusaders, Saracens, Toulon etc etc…..have all been accused. Get over it, the comment comes across as salty and naive. Northampton as well as they played to get back into the match were thoroughly beaten and controlled for 60 minutes and Leinster have only themselves to blame for kicking it away and hence losing control of the match and being nearly the architects of their own downfall.
2 Go to commentsThere is some talent coming thru thats for sure. The 10 looks special to me. Rico Simpson is a name to look for in the future.
2 Go to commentsI think this quiet honestly is just an innocent misunderstanding by someone who is pig sh*t stupid. Eben is a fine player but by christ, if he can’t understand or get what the Irish players were trying to say to him after the match…..well i hope he has someone looking after his finances, career and is reading the fine print for him, cause life after rugby may be quite difficult for the vacuous echo chamber.
32 Go to commentsIt could be Doris' day!
3 Go to commentsThe whole thing has blown up because Eben’s words have clearly struck a nerve in Ireland. Otherwise they would just laugh it off. I think some former Irish players, commentators and some Irish fans know deep down this Ireland team started to believe its own press and that a certain amount of arrogance had started to creep in during the World Cup. The topic was actually brought up by Irish pundits on Off the Ball recently. It’s fine to be arrogant if you can back it up. Ireland didn’t.
32 Go to comments‘The Irish are good people'. Why is Goode praising a people who hate his own? Wet wipe.
32 Go to commentsLa mejor final que se puede ver en el emisferio norte.
1 Go to commentsA lot of cope from south africans in the comments. Etzebeth is a liar and a hypocrite; you don’t have to defend him!
32 Go to commentsHe got big and really slow for a flyhalf…not sure he’s relevant in a bok conversation anymore
4 Go to commentsBest tourney team vs best team in the regular season for 3 games in RSA - talk is cheap, let’s see what’s what on the tour
32 Go to commentsOne overlooked statistic from their 2016 winning season is the Huricanes are still the only team in Super rugby history not to concede a try during the playoff rounds.
4 Go to commentsThanks for the article, Nick. The Nienaber blitz D does ask a lot of its scrumhalf. I have been watching JGP on D and he often looks like he has mastered what Nienaber asks for better than Faf de Klerk and Cobus Reinach! 🤣 Impressive season by JGP if I must make an understatement.
22 Go to comments