'We are going to do great things': Spain's Pena signs new Harlequins deal

Spain captain Claudia Pena has signed a new deal with Premiership Women’s Rugby club Harlequins.

The 21-year-old, who has already won an astonishing 31 caps for her country, has been with the Londoners for two seasons. At the end of the 2024/25 campaign Pena was nominated for PWR Player of the Year.

After she starred for Las Leonas at Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025, Pena was installed as her national team’s captain and led her team to the 2026 Women’s Rugby Europe Championship.

This season Pena scored 47 points, including three tries, for Harlequins as they missed out on the top four.

“Harlequins is like a family,” Pena said. “We have support from the staff, the squad and the amazing amount of people who support us in England and around the world.

“It’s an amazing feeling and I believe we are going to do great things with that support we have. Next year is going to be another year of improvement and I’m excited for people coming to see us play.”

Pena could well be the jewel in Harlequins’ backline when the 2026/27 season gets underway. After the departure of Ellie Kildunne from the Twickenham Stoop, Ross Chisholm’s team are in need of a world-class talent to follow.

The club will also be hoping to forget a challenging 2025/26 campaign in which the club failed to reach the heights of last season and make the semi-finals again.

Ross Chisholm, Harlequins’ head coach, said: “Claudia is a player who has consistently impressed in her first two seasons at Harlequins. She has shown her ability both in attack and defence and become a key player in our backline.”

“This season, she has been hugely impressive, and I believe that she can still take her game to another level, which is hugely exciting. For such a young player, she is incredibly composed in everything she does, and I’m thrilled that she will be remaining in the Quarters.”