Harlequins set to snap up powerful Polish No.8

According to the Polish Rugby Union official website, Poland’s captain Piotr Zeszutek is set to join Harlequins on a two-month loan spell, with an option to extend that stay.

Zeszutek, who has 15 international caps and plays for domestic club Ogniwo Sopot, is a strong ball-carrying number eight and has stood out with his performances for the Polish national team.

Should he make it on to the field during his stay in south-west London, the 27-year-old will be the first Polish player to play in the Gallagher Premiership. He arrives from the same club that Brive’s former Heineken Cup-winning number eight Grzegorz Kacala represented in the Polish league.

Per the report on the Polish Rugby Union website, the move was facilitated by Duaine Lindsay, the head coach of the Polish national team, who will continue to work with him whilst he is with Harlequins.

Zeszutek will reinforce Quins’ options in their back-row ahead of their season opener with Sale Sharks next month and offer a formidable presence with ball in hand, something that the club have lacked consistently since Nick Easter hung up his boots in 2016. He will compete with the likes of Mat Luamanu, Renaldo Bothma and James Chisholm for a spot at the base of the scrum.

Quins have shown they’re not afraid to take a risk on players from outside of Tier 1 in order to improve their ability to break the gain-line, having already secured the services of New Zealand-born USA Eagles representative Paul Lasike earlier this summer.

Both Zeszutek and Lasike will have their work cut out for them replicating their performances and obvious ability in the Premiership, but if they can achieve the same level of success in their carrying and collisions work, they could prove to be bargain additions to Paul Gustard’s side.